Good-bye, I’m off for vacation! Right now, I’m in that stage where it feels like so much work to get away, I’d rather just stay home. But I’m sure once we’re underway, I’ll be glad we undertook it.

As I’m getting ready to leave, I’m reminding myself of my Secrets of Adulthood for family vacations.

What are they? Click through to find out! (And then add your own in the comments…)

• Less is more.
• Start early if possible.
• When packing an item that might leak, put it in a plastic bag.
• Don’t let anyone get too hungry. Especially me.
• Cheerfulness is contagious, and crabbiness is even more contagious.
• Wear sunscreen.
• Carry tissues.
• Remind kids to visit the bathroom—don’t wait for the thought to occur to them.
• Never choose the buffet option.
• Get plenty of sleep.
• There’s joy in routine, but an occasional disruption makes routine all the sweeter.
• Make it easy to do right, and hard to go wrong.
• Quit while you’re ahead.
• Make each of my children helpless with laughter at least once each day.
• Doing a little work makes goofing off more fun.
• The things that go wrong often make the best memories.
• Leave plenty of room in the suitcase.
• As Eisenhower observed, “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.”
• The point is to have fun.

What am I overlooking?
What are your Secrets of Adulthood
for family vacations?

I really enjoyed meeting Brene Brown at a conference a few weeks ago, and it was fun to do this interview with her. My favorite question: what’s my favorite word?

Comments

This post currently has 2 comments.
You can read the comments or leave your own thoughts.

Trackbacks

No trackbacks yet to this post.

    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 23 Aug 2011
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.