I just thought I'd share an idea I have for my upcoming trip. My wife and I are taking our 2 kids, 12 and 10, down to WDW in early May for 10 days. We're going with my brother-in-law's family.
I've been on long family vacations before. You get tired, you get hungry, you get cranky, there are a million conflicting opinions on what gets done and when we do it, Louis spilled ice cream on his shirt again, Veronica stop begging for another souvenir, I told you to just ask for directions but you never listen to me, etc etc.
It's normal.
But when I go on vacation, I always keep in mind that the point is in having fun and creating happy memories. So when I start to get aggravated about something, I let it go ... it doesn't matter in the long run. :shrug:
With that in mind, I have decided to create Happiness Coupons for each member of my family. The will be emblazoned with slogans such as "Please don't be mad at me. I love you!", decorated with Disney characters and printed out on colorful paper. :kiss:
The idea is that each coupon entitles the bearer to an immediate reconciliation with another aggreived party, no questions asked, and must be accompanied with a hug. :sohappy:
We're all pretty good at keeping an even keel for the most part in my family, but I just thought that these would serve as reminders to each of us that the point is to have fun -- and it doesn't really matter where you eat lunch or who forgot the camera back at the hotel. :brick:
I'm sure these will never even be taken out of one's pocket, because as soon as you start to get agitated about something, you will immediately be reminded of the coupon in your own wallet and remember to just relax, smile and have fun.
I've been on long family vacations before. You get tired, you get hungry, you get cranky, there are a million conflicting opinions on what gets done and when we do it, Louis spilled ice cream on his shirt again, Veronica stop begging for another souvenir, I told you to just ask for directions but you never listen to me, etc etc.
It's normal.
But when I go on vacation, I always keep in mind that the point is in having fun and creating happy memories. So when I start to get aggravated about something, I let it go ... it doesn't matter in the long run. :shrug:
With that in mind, I have decided to create Happiness Coupons for each member of my family. The will be emblazoned with slogans such as "Please don't be mad at me. I love you!", decorated with Disney characters and printed out on colorful paper. :kiss:
The idea is that each coupon entitles the bearer to an immediate reconciliation with another aggreived party, no questions asked, and must be accompanied with a hug. :sohappy:
We're all pretty good at keeping an even keel for the most part in my family, but I just thought that these would serve as reminders to each of us that the point is to have fun -- and it doesn't really matter where you eat lunch or who forgot the camera back at the hotel. :brick:
I'm sure these will never even be taken out of one's pocket, because as soon as you start to get agitated about something, you will immediately be reminded of the coupon in your own wallet and remember to just relax, smile and have fun.
