Friday, Nov. 28, 2008
Mom On The Street
I’m always mesmerized by ads promoting the perfect family vacation to sunny skies and sandy beaches. Although we see advertisements for these relaxing days and romantic nights, anyone with children knows that such vacations rarely occur.
Even though most family vacations include children fighting in the back seat of the car, and lots of stress, the ideal is to create a vacation experience both parent and children will savor for years to come.
I was fortunate to grow up just a few hours from Disney World.
I’ve been there as a child, as a thrill-seeking teenager, as a single adult and as a mom.
The most special memories, however, are from the first time I took my children to the Magic Kingdom, and we were waiting for the parade to start, standing in the very same spot my parents and I stood on the Tomorrowland bridge — déjà vu 30 years later.
This week Mom on the Street asks if you have a special holiday vacation spot you enjoy with your family.
Sheila Thompson of Southlake said vacationing with children is a bit of a contradiction.
"You think that by going on a family vacation you are getting away from the hustle and bustle to unwind, but more often than not you return exhausted and twice as busy catching up on things ... Even knowing all this, we still enjoy getting away at least once a year as a family," Thompson said.
"One of our favorite vacation destinations has to be Hawaii," she said, sounding a bit wistful. "The weather is always perfect, the people are great, and there are enough activities to make all members of our family happy," Thompson said.
Marilyn Jones of Colleyville laughed that her mother thinks she is crazy, but she loves going camping with her family.
"I have never been much of an outdoors person," Jones said, "but our family has an annual camping trip that we all look forward to each year at Yosemite. My mother thinks we are nuts to go on a trip like this without modern conveniences, but the time together and this special trip has become our family tradition," Jones said.
So, if you are lucky enough to be planning a family holiday vacation this year, try not to have a movie-script image of the perfect trip. Memories on family vacations often take care of themselves.
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