reentry

When spacecraft return from their missions, the most dangerous part is often reentry; all sorts of bad things can happen if proper precautions aren't taken.

The same is true for vacationing preschoolers. And their mommies.



We had a fantastic week in Florida, particularly once we realized that Tropical Storm Alberto was a bust. We swam every day and spent three mornings at the beach-I wore my bikini two of those days (are you proud?). No one got sunburned or lost their shoes or woke up at 3:00 am covered in blood. All in all, it was a good week. It was a great week, actually.



The past forty eight hours, however, have been hellish. I don't know if my kids are tired or bored or feeling neglected, but they are driving me berserk. We slogged through yesterday (Happy Father's Day! Let's all have a tantrum! Fun for Daddy!) and this morning I woke up DETERMINED to have a good day with these kids. Over breakfast, the boys and I made a Plan: we would go to the sandy park, and then to Starbucks, and then home to play in our splash pool. "And then we can eat our lunch outside!" I said cheerfully.

"A PICNIC!" Charlie said. "I LOVE picnics! Just like in Florida!" (On our last full day, we went to the beach, came back to the house, hosed everyone off and threw them in the pool, and then ate lunch outside, next to the pool. Charlie still swears that THAT was his favorite day, and that his lunch has never tasted better than it did that day.)

It was a good Plan. It had all the components of a successful day with my kids: lots of time outside, water to wash off the sand, coffee for me, lunch for them. And of course AFTER lunch we would have showers, and by then it would be nearly 2:00! Or maybe even later! And Dragon Tales comes on at 4:00! So that would be a WHOLE DAY (more or less) of fun!

Instead, at 11:00 am, we were home and showered and having Quiet Time in our own rooms. Not good quiet time, where the boys choose to play alone and peacefully and I get things done, but the kind of Quiet Time that comes with a warning: You Will Stay In There Until I Say You May Come Out. Or Else.

Vacations always kill me, not so much because vacationing with kids, as so many of you pointed out, is essentially doing what I always do but on the road, but because going on vacation with my kids always makes me think that I should be working harder every day to really enjoy my children, to have fun with them doing the mundane things we do anyway. I always come home determined to really focus on the kids, the way I do when we're somewhere else--out of our routine and away from our familiar surroundings. You know--to have picnics because the boys love them.

Instead, we've had two days of meltdowns and hitting and screaming, "You're the MEANEST Mommy IN THE WORLD and I DON'T LIKE YOU anymore!" It is so very hard not to say, "Thank you, and the feeling is mutual." Because you know, that's not very grown-up or mature or parent-like.

I had a wonderful vacation. But being home sucks.