There were scuffs and scrapes aplenty. Bug bites. Sunburns. Even jellyfish stings.
But, I am happy to report, the girls have quite recovered.
Me, I’m still working on it.
As a parent, it goes that way, I’ve learned, with vacations. After a few days of intense togetherness, whatever the supposedly relaxing setting, I find myself in need of, well, a vacation.
For us, Gulf Shores, Ala., where we spent three days earlier this week, was a genuine family vacation.
In my wife and I’s brief 10-year history as members of the married-with-children set, most of our family vacations have been exactly that: trips to see family.
Which has its advantages. For one thing, there’s free room, board and meals. And with my wife’s parents being in Colorado, anytime we can manage it we have a pretty good getaway awaiting us there.
As for going somewhere just us and the kids, though, we’ve tried it only a couple of times. And then just for a weekend or so.
But this year, we thought we’d do the real thing. With Tamara wanting the girls to experience the ocean for the first time, Gulf Shores seemed like a good bet, so we booked a house a couple blocks from the beach.
Days before we ever left home, my daughter Melody was atwitter with anticipation, already declaring “going to the beach” to be her favorite part of summer break.
Kids, as you probably know, have a whole different relationship to the space-time continuum. Inspired by books and TV to associate all kinds of fun, exciting things with “The Beach,” Melody had in a sense already been there, enough at least to feel confident in her declaration.
For a few tense minutes one evening in the Gulf, though, I was afraid she was going to reconsider, and that we'd all rue the day.
It was after a jellyfish zapped her during a dip, leaving behind a crosshatch of angry red welts on her foot and ankle.
Between tears and despairing gasps, Melody announced that this was the “worst trip ever.”
My fear was that she would let it define the whole vacation.
But thanks to a remedy recommended to us — a ruddy concoction made from a meat-tenderizer — the crisis was not prolonged.
She was good to go the next day.
In the Gulf, we learned, storm clouds usually move in quickly, dump their contents and move on. Before you can whistle the chorus to Margaritaville, the sun is out again, beaming.
It’s the same way with our family. Stormy moods arise, but they usually don’t stick around.
We weathered a few of them on our trip.
All in all, our first stab at a real family vacation has to be termed a success.
Who knows, we might even try it again next year.
Either way, we’ll always have Colorado.
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