Magnolia Mama: Are We There Yet?

Some of my happiest childhood memories involve both the adventures – and misadventures – I had during family vacations. The vivid memories of these trips bring me a sense of joy and togetherness.

Studies have shown that vacations are beneficial for the overall development of children. They come back happy and curious, having experienced a world outside their homes. Vacations expose children to different cultures, foods, and ways of living, while allowing them to spend quality time with family.

When you’re a parent, family vacations are still fun, but they’re also a lot of work. Some parents even consider vacations to be more of a work trip. You have the same never-ending parental responsibilities, but usually with a better view.

Here’s what I know will occur on our family vacations now that I’m a parent:

– Packing is exhausting, and feels like it takes longer than the actual trip.

As if packing for yourself isn’t hard enough, now you have to pack everything your children could want or need while away from home. Spiderman costumes, stuffed animals, action figures, dolls and random Lego pieces are necessities and require their own suitcase.

– We will never leave on time, ever.

No matter how much reminding I do, someone will always forget something critical, like their lovey, toothbrush, glasses, retainer, underwear or phone charger.

–There will be several fights in the car.

There will be a fight about who gets stuck in the middle seat. There will be fights over the temperature. There will also be fights about people breathing and chewing too loudly.

– I’ll spend 95-percent of my time on the trip looking for bathrooms, and purchasing overpriced snacks and toys.

I’ll tell the kids that the plastic, 30-dollar toy is too expensive, and we can find it cheaper at Wal-Mart back home. I’ll later purchase the overpriced toy in defeat, with the hopes of improving my mental health.

– No one will cooperate after the first picture I take.

I’ll spend the rest of the afternoon trying to decipher what gang signs the kids are making in the pictures.

– Sleeping on vacation gets tricky.

We always have a snorer, and a “sleep fighter” that eventually punches someone in the face while dreaming. We will also have an early-riser, and someone who hogs the bathroom because they are “not a morning person” and need some alone time. If the kids have to share a bed, they will barricade the middle of the hotel beds with pillows, so there’s absolutely no way anyone can touch each other throughout the night.

All of this is part of my family vacation adventure. The good, the bad, the stressful – ALL OF IT – make the memories last a lifetime. Sometimes traveling with my children seems too chaotic, and I swear that I’m never doing it again…but when I get home and decompress, I’m always ready to do it all over again.

But first, I need a vacation from my vacation.

Ashley Karcher is a freelance writer living in Ocean Springs with her husband, four children and two dogs.