This is the last one, I promise, on the subject of holidays. This time it’s looking at holidays with family.
It could mean just taking your children on a holiday but I was thinking more of holidays with in laws or siblings or other family members.
A lot of how a holiday with family goes depends on how well the family gets along and how comfortable and relaxed they are in each other’s company. If your spouse doesn’t get along well with your parents, or even if you don’t, then a holiday with family is not going to be the most relaxing option.
If this is the case then limiting the amount of time together might be the best way forward. Either make it a short break , only a couple of days before moving on, or ensure you are staying in different places so you have somewhere you can retreat to if you find you’ve had enough of family for a time.
Sometimes even a room away from the general hubbub is helpful.
I know what happens when we get together with our son or daughter and their respective spouses is that we end up having lots of late nights talking and playing games. But the option is always there if someone is too tired they just want time out to retreat to their room and no-one is going to take offence. Or they might decide to opt out for a while and bury their head in a newspaper or book and that’s fine too. Since Mick and I are both bookworms we understand the lure of the book.
Whether you choose to go away without children is an individual choice. We always enjoyed our children, so our occasional holidays meant we all went together, unless the children were camping with a church group. The most we were ever away from children was once or twice for a weekend or something like that.
The whole point is holidays should be a relaxing time, a break from routine. So in the end find what works best for you and your marriage and go with it. It doesn’t matter of it’s the same as someone else would do.
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Holidays and Marriage – Part 2
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