Family Vacationing

“But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.” Psalm 68:3


So last weekend we went to Branson and did the family vacation thing. I think my hub and I have finally lowered our expectations of ourselves and our kids enough, that we finally were all able to have a good time. We visited Silver Dollar City, a couple of shops in the outlet malls that we usually hit, the A&W restaurant where I consumed no less than 60 ounces of root beer, and on the way home we stopped at the Wild Animal Safari in Strafford and got slobbered on. It was a good time.

We used to assume that we could do anything we wanted with the kids in tow and that they would not have an opinion about our activities since they were just kids. We were naïve, to say the least. But now after seven years of kids in tow, we’ve learned that if they ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. So, this time we actually asked them what they wanted to do. They wanted to go to Silver Dollar City, and they wanted to jump on the beds and swim in the pool at the motel. And that’s pretty much what we planned for.

To me, going to Silver Dollar City means riding the log ride, the Lost River of the Ozarks, Fire in the Hole, plus going in all the shops and watching the craftsman make stuff. To them, going to Silver Dollar City means going in Grandfather’s Mansion, going across the suspension bridge, riding maybe the Flooded Mine and Tea Cup rides, and then spending the rest of the day in the play house shooting foam balls out of air guns. We used to try my way, but by this time, we’d finally given in. We rode the rides that the kids wanted to ride, and walked through shops the kids wanted to walk through. They are finally old enough to notice people making things and we actually got so watch a basket maker and a potter this time. I wish they would hurry up and think the glass blowing is cool!

The second day of Silver Dollar City, we had dubbed “water day” where we all wore our sandals and clothes that would dry quickly, and the kids could ride the new boat ride where you shoot crank-up water guns at each other and look like you’ve jumped into a pool with your clothes on by the time it is all over. My hub thought shooting other peoples’ kids in the face with water guns on purpose was great fun, as did my 7YO. The 5YO and I sat on the bench in an area where the guns wouldn’t quite reach us. We did manage to see a “bee-yoo-tiful” butterfly, as he called it, in the hour or so we sat there.

Then my hub did something nice for me. He told the children we were all riding the Lost River of the Ozarks tube ride “to make Mommy happy.” Unfortunately, this did not make the children happy, but they did it anyway. Amazingly, none of us got painfully wet, as is the usual norm on this ride, but my hub and I had a good time. The kids? Well, they were less than impressed, but they survived just to make Mommy happy.

I hope you all have time to spend on a family vacation this year, and I hope you all have a good time. Hopefully the memories you make on vacation will be happy ones, instead of everyone screaming horrifically as the tube goes through the dark tunnel.

“A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:13