Taking a Family Vacation

Couplehood Chronicles

Taking a Family Vacation
Even vacations can seem like chores.
BY CHET MCDONIEL

Chet McDoniel

My wife and I love taking vacations. The thought of getting away from the hurried pace of life is a thought we relish. Vacations are times that we can make memories without all of the real life hassles getting in the way. So, what happens when all that time together turns bad? We don’t normally spend 24 hours a day together at home, so why do we assume that a vacation will be pure bliss with that much time together? Why do we not anticipate that spending that much time together will cause a different kind of stress?
Don’t get me wrong, vacations are priceless to our family as I’m sure they are to you, too. I do believe, though, that if we keep a few things in mind prior to going on vacation, we can have a much smoother experience. One such thing to keep in mind is that vacations can be exhausting.
Joni, my wife, Hannah, our six-month-old and I just returned from the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. We had a wonderful time, although it was hot! Where we live in Texas gets hot in the summer, too, but Florida has the added curse of humidity. Every time we left the room, we felt like we were walking into a sauna. The week in Disney had been going very well, and then we had a small meltdown. I felt like I had been verbally snapped at several times on one particular day by Joni, and being that I was exhausted and overheated, I snapped back. Now, had I been hurt by Joni’s comments? Maybe. Was my reaction a good way to handle my hurt? No way. My reaction caused hurt feelings on her end, and I almost ruined a very nice meal together at Le Cellier in Epcot. Notice I said, "almost."
About 2 or 3 minutes after snapping back at her, I realized that the only reason I had snapped was because I was so tired and irritable from the heat. I immediately spoke up to tell her that I was sorry and that I had not meant to hurt her. The quick meltdown was over and we enjoyed our dinner. If I had only realized my own irritability, the situation would have never even occurred. Realize your own emotions and physical state before you choose to react. I doubt anything she had said to me that day would have even bothered me had I not been so irritable to begin with.
Next time, I will recognize my emotional and physical state before choosing to react to something that really wasn’t a big deal to begin with. And, if I do react inappropriately, I’ll be the first to admit wrongdoing and end the fight. By doing so, I end hostilities, and maybe, I erase the fact that the fight even occurred. In fact, in recalling this event with Joni, you know what she said?
"We had a fight at Le Cellier? I’ll take your word for it because I don’t remember it at all."
By ending the fight as soon as it began, she doesn’t even remember that it happened. All we remember was that the trip was a blast and we had a great time.
Chet McDoniel ( www.chetmcdoniel.com) is an inspirational speaker and author who was born with no arms and shortened legs. He, his wife, Joni and daughter, Hannah, live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area where they own Off to Neverland Travel ( www.offtoneverland.com) specializing in Disney Vacations.

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