Working Mom Vacations

While I’m on vacation hanging with my little guys Jennifer of Mommy Huh is taking over today.  She is a hard working mom of an adorable little boy.   It was an absolute pleasure meeting her last month at a local blogging event.  I am looking forward to seeing her again soon. 

Vacations seemed so easy when I was a child.

They all began in the wintertime with a family meeting to discuss and vote on dates and destinations. Mostly the voting was for mom and dad, but the suggestions my sister and I offered were always considered. We always behaved ourselves during this seasonal conversation and knew better than to suggest something outrageous; like camping on the moon. We certainly didn’t want to stand in the corner while everyone else participated in making plans.

Decisions were made, bags were packed, and we went on vacation.

Now I feel as though I have pulled back the curtain to reveal the Wizard of Oz. Vacations are a little less fun when your mom isn’t packing for you, but you’re the mom packing for your own child (and husband too if we want to be fair). It isn’t fun when you’re the one responsible for not forgetting necessary items and plotting out itineraries and travel logistics.

The success of the family vacation is on your shoulders.

The word ‘vacation’ looks a little more like the word ‘stress.’

I work very long stressful hours as do my colleagues. I am fortunate to be in a family-friendly office who understands that although we sometimes spend more time with our office-family than we do our real families, nothing is ever more important than our spouses and children. My boss announced in a grumble that he would be on vacation next week. Without thinking, I replied, “You better enjoy yourself.” He shrugged his shoulders as though he didn’t know how. I lectured him on taking it easy, relaxing properly, and enjoying time with family.

If only I listened to myself.

After we returned from our very first family vacation last week, I was angry with myself for not taking better advantage of it. I shouldn’t have resisted going-with-the-flow. I should have slept more, ate more, and generally just not think so much. But as a mom now, I found that there was something more important than whether or not I had a good time; it was all about whether or not my son had a good time. Nothing mattered more than seeing him play with his young cousins, laughing with glee in the swimming pool, and seeing him happily snuggled in the arms of so many loved ones.

Our vacation was simple and spontaneous, but it was one of the very best of my entire life. If you are making a vacation to-do list, ENJOY should be number 1.

Happy vacation!

Check out my blog at Mommy Huh and visit me on Twitter anytime @DCWorkingMommy if you’d like to chat about vacations, family, career, or whatever is on your mind.

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Tagged as: family, summer, vacation, working mom