How We Maximize Vacation Value

My wife and I vacation very differently.  For me, a vacation is a chance to get away from the quotidian and try something new.  For her, it’s a chance to go somewhere and do nothing.  Except when she wants to do something.  Then we all should want to go do what she wants to do.

This vacation has been blessedly different and better.  I, for one, am starting to learn to relax.  To really not do anything.  It’s not how I was raised.  Even now, she is watching Wife Swap downstairs with the kids while I write this entry.  She has started to allow the family to split.  The older kids and I did not want to see Santa and the Reindeer a few days ago.   So she took the younger kids and her parents to do it.  We (the older kids and me) went to the rec center and played air hockey and ping pong.  It was a perfect afternoon for all of us.

Today was even better.  We had one of her favorite breakfasts (biscuits and gravy), loaded up the car, and went to the mountain to sled.  There is hardly any snow this year.  It’s pretty depressing.  But we found a hill and spent 2 or 3 hours there.  The sun was out, it was 40 degrees, no wind, and there was plenty of snow for what we wanted.   It even was drifted 6ft deep in places.  We ate our lunch of water, PBJ, and Doritos, and came home.  She went upstairs to take a nap.  I hung out with the kids downstairs to chill for a few hours.  When she woke up, I took all the kids to the pool for 2 hours.  She was able to get 4 hours to herself, the kids got lots of fun, and I got a little time to relax as well.

So for us, I suppose we maximize vacation value by finding pleasure in the compromise, and doing so often.  Whenever we can make those compromises break in a way that helps the kids, everyone is a winner.  11 years after we started vacationing with our kids, it is finally starting to be fun.