Go Tell Mom
We chew on stuff you’d talk about with your mom. Or maybe not. Advice that moms would give...if they were research ninjas. Or maybe not. Crazy things that happen when moms and families get together...and how to deal with the drama. Or maybe not. Come share the adventure with us!
Go Tell Mom
GO TELL MOM s4e4 – THE NEW FAMILY VACATION
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GO TELL MOM SHOWNOTES s4e4 – THE NEW FAMILY VACATION
Dianna Kelly and Sheri Waltz plot out how to save a family vacation…and how family vacations evolve with the kids.
Free family vacation itinerary from craft.do: https://www.craft.do/ko/templates/family-vacation-itinerary
Dr. John Grohol on vacation fantasies: https://docjohng.medium.com/the-emotional-psychological-toll-of-the-family-vacation-679cbbc
Carla Crespo in the Journal of Family Theory & Review on family rituals: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jftr.70032#:~:text=Family%20rituals%20can%20
GO TELL MOM s4e4 – The New Family Vacation
Remember what it was like when you were a kid, traveling with the family for summer vacation? Or maybe winter vacation. My folks would always have both time and route planned out carefully – whether it was renting a cottage on a lake island in New Hampshire or driving to see the relatives in Oklahoma.
When my kids were young, their parents would do the same thing – except it usually involved Disney or something similar in some way, shape or form. Plane tickets or car ride, it was usually fraught with drama from my youngest, who objected to the length of travel, waiting in line for anything, and not getting into the car – or booth – or seat – first. My ex husband did most of the planning for these events, since his specialty was PR, and he usually knew who to call to make the best deals.
I was the one who handled the packing and organizing who took care of our furbabies while we were gone. “Fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants” was not the way we rolled. Actually, before the kids, we tried that once, and discovered we were not fated to be the impetuous traveling duo. EVERY hotel, motel and teepee in coastal Maine was booked during the week of the fourth of July. We finally ended up at my parents’ place in New Hampshire.
In this century, families are more likely to use a family vacation template to make the family holiday less stressful. Craft.do has a detailed plan that outlines specifics of your trip, ranging from departure times and accommodations to daily activities to packing lists. They break it down into sections, and even include bucket lists. The theory is that with every detail in one place, you can easily manage all aspects of your travels. I, on the other hand, would theorize that by the end of the trip, that template would be covered in crayon and hot sauce.
Dr. John Grohol says in Medium the idea that a family vacation is a chance to get away, put aside your worries, and focus on what’s important in life is a fairy tale. We think Clark Griswald might agree. Grohol calls it a test of everything that defines a family and couplehood. Think about it: how many of us agree with family members on what constitutes “fun?” And how much alone time do you get when you’re out with the posse? Let’s face it – we all need alone time! You may find your family gets psychologically and emotionally worn down as the vacation progresses.
Grohol says even kids need their own space and time, and if you’re packing activities into 16 hours a day, something’s gonna give. Usually it’s someone’s temper.
But that doesn’t mean skip the vacations. They’ve become family rituals, and Carla Crespo says in the Journal of Family Theory and Review that those rituals are building blocks for creating meaningful family connections. Family rituals are at the heart of the human experience of being part of a family. Not to mention they produce great stories to laugh about in your golden years.
