I've been observing successful families for years. I knew I was coming to the table somewhat deficient with what my childhood handed me.
One common refrain I've heard and witnessed: families that play together, stay together.
We've watched what does that even look like and with adult kids, we've seen that parents who find a nice vacation spot and pay for it, kids show up.
So we're trying to do that. Last year was Hawaii, this year, a scaled-down trip to a condo in Roslyn, WA.
We a lot of input from the kids on what interested them most. Activities, outside, food nearby, within 2-3 hours of where we all live, not super isolated, nice accommodations. Check, check, check. I think we found a place that fits the bill for everyone.
We left town around 10:30, stopped in Wenatchee to check on the servers there then grabbed some lunch. We made it to the condo by around 5:30, headed back to town for groceries to supplement what we had then got dinner going.
The three kids showed up from Seattle around 8:30, and we had a late dinner. There are plenty of bedrooms for everyone, and we're looking forward to hanging with the beauties plus Bee. (We also saw/heard it's a great way to get to know boyfriends, to have them vacation with you).
Looking forward to a long weekend together, leaving on Monday.
On trips like this, Jay and I tend to rise to the occasion. We've always traveled well together, and at the very least, there are just fewer things for us to argue over. That tends to bring our conflict quotient way down, and we end up being generally happy for a few days, at least not unhappy.
These times away have made me realize we still have the seeds of a good relationship. We still like each other, we have a family, we care about each other. Work seems impossible, and we rub each other in ways that don't seem to change.
For now, a good weekend with other people with good energy to make it all work.