DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: I know it’s what most families we know do, but I feel like I really, really need a break from kid-friendly theme parks for our summer vacation.
My wife and I both only get so much PTO, and every summer except for the COVID year since our youngest was old enough to travel, we have spent it on going to places built for kids. We’ve done all the theme parks within a two-day drive of our home, and I think it would be great if we could do something else for a change this year.
These parks are expensive, and by the end of the day we have grouchy, exhausted kids and equally exhausted, grouchy parents.
I proposed we take our kids to a national park or some other kind of less-commercial destination, but my wife thinks they’ll be bored and we’ll still have grouchy, exhausted kids, who will also be bored by not having enough to entertain them.
I remember the trips I took with my family when I was a kid, and we all enjoyed our mini-road trips. A two-screen DVD player was all the technology we had besides listening to whatever music my parents picked. My brothers and I had a blast.
Why would my wife think our kids wouldn’t enjoy getting out and seeing more of the world besides crazy expensive theme parks? --- READY TO HIT THE ROAD
DEAR READY TO HIT THE ROAD: I’m guessing your wife believes she’s the best judge of what will make your children happy. That’s not to say they wouldn’t be open to a few things beyond the theme parks they are used to visiting.
Perhaps if you came up with a solid plan for a road trip to present to your wife — complete with stops along the way there and back that you feel would engage your kids and avoid their spending hours on end in a car — you might persuade her that there’s plenty for your family to do beyond theme parks.
If she’s more open to your ideas after that, cluing the kids in on your proposal would also be a way to test the waters before a final decision is reached on how you’ll spend your vacation.
If the youngest members of your potential road crew seem excited by your suggestion, that too could help convince your wife to try something a little different this time around.