What family vacations come to mind from your childhood? Road trips? Camping? Visiting friends or family?
As a child, my family was a ‘road trip’ kind of family. We drove everywhere, regardless of the distance. Our trips were educational. We saw a lot, learned a lot, and after a while, got on each other’s nerves a lot. But we enjoyed the experience together and have many great memories as a result. As a young adult, I often felt like many of our family vacations were FFF – Forced Family Fun, but in reality, they were an adventure.
An adventure is defined as an exciting or remarkable experience. I can remember getting ready for our trips, packing our suitcases, and thinking about the games we’d play in the car. It was exciting, we were going to see and do something new. Even if we were going to see our relatives or go to a new place, our road trips were never quite the same.
This summer, we have planned many adventures for our family. There will be camping, long drives, and lots of time together. My husband and I can’t wait. The kids seem excited too. I wonder if they’ll think back and have fond memories of our time together, or if they’ll think of these trips as Forced Family Fun.
We are building memories, and I’m treasuring each one. To see my sons faces once we get to our destination, to see them enjoying finding bugs in the outdoors, roasting marshmallows over the campfire, watching waterfalls in awe, or seeing their joy as they jump into a pool, I’m not sure being a parent gets much better than these moments.
What adventures do you have planned for this year?
Have the Parenting Journey you were meant to 
Our family spends alot of weekends at motocross tracks. On a race weekend you drive to the destination and camp over. The last race weekend I remember waking up and standing outside of the trailer just watching all of the activity, racers tuning their bikes, kids running around playing, dogs being walked, eggs and bacon being cooked on a camping stove. It struck me how my kids might look back on these summer weekends with such fond memories, being closer as a family, getting to know the other racing families, the noise, the excitement. This is what they wake up to.
It sounds like a great memory for your entire family. There is something special about being in a different environment together. Thanks for sharing.