There are a lot of reasons why I chose to take the kids, and nonnie, and go off to the Mountains of West Virginia for a month in the dead of summer. One of which was that my precious little angels were on the cusp of being spoiled rotten.
Last summer, Sydney lamented that we were going to too many pools. She just wanted to sit at home. At first, I thought it was cute. Then I learned she wanted to sit home and be entertained. New toys. Play dates. Video games. Stuff. Enough!
The first thing I told them was "I'm sorry about your life". Nothing like a little sarcasm for the preschool set.
I wanted to take them back in time, to see how I spent summers. Part of it was great, part not so great. But honestly, I have no desire to relive that crap either. Seriously, getting sprayed from a hydrant is not as fun as it looks.
So, on to plan two. We are going to slow the fuck down.
Now, honestly, we can't do it on our own turf. Too much. Camps. Friends. Stuff.
I booked a house in the mountains of West Virginia for a month. It is not a shack. We have a hot tub. There is a swimming pond, and a tennis court. Lots of stuff to do nearby. The intent is not to make the children, or me, suffer. The intent is for them to actually get a break. And me too. We are all in this madness together. And frankly, at 8, the mean girls are already coming. I just needed a month off from all the drama! Plus, what better than a bucolic setting for Jonny to work on his confidence and strength?
One of the first days we got here I declared we would not be using the car for a whole day? I thought the kids were going to implode. They didn't get it. We went swimming. went on a walk. Cooked. Holy shit! We didn't have to go anywhere or do anything! I still have no idea if they were excited, or scared shitless.
Since then though, they have grown immensely and learned a lot. They have actually completed a number of jigsaw puzzles, rather than quitting and moving on to something with more bells and whistles. We have gone on hikes, and ridden more horses than I would like to admit. Jonny has ridden too,for an hour at a time, which is a HUGE improvement.
They play together, they have had to. They make up games. They play in the yard. They sit and read books together. for fun. They go for walks, by themselves (little ones, I am still neurotic).
We haven't turned on the TV for 2 weeks.
Tonight, after a game of badminton where Jonny was the MC, I realized, it's working!
This is what a summer vacation should be. It's the perfect time. And I am damn glad I did it.
Yes, they are still kids and they still want everything, but it has subsided a lot. We get an ice cream cone when we go to town. A couple awesome spending sprees at the dollar store. But even when the opportunity presents itself, they are making better choices.
Today, rather than go to the nearby resort to do whatever crazy activities they offer tourists, they chose to stay home and play Candyland with Nonnie. Jonny asked me to buy a new version of the game (the one here at the house has seen better days) so we can take it home. So I did.
see? spoiled rotten.
