Sunday 3 April 2011

Storytelling Sunday...a cautionary tale of a planned holiday

 This is my post for Sian's Storytelling Sunday....see the others here.
I think this is a short cautionary tale......it's certainly a tale.....involving daughters in their early twenties!
A few weeks ago......we'd finished dinner.......and were reminiscing about our Florida holiday
"Do you remember....................?" said DD2
"Do you remember....................?" said DD1
"Do you remember when I flooded the toilet?" said DD2 [actually that's an entirely different story......and not one I really wanted to be reminded of!!!!!]
"Are you going on holiday this year" said DD2
"Yes" I said
"Where are you going?" she said
"We're going to book a cottage with D and G.......somewhere in England we haven't been to before" I said
"Can we come?" they said
"Errr.......don't you think you're too old to go on holiday with your parents?" we said..............hopefully.
"NO" they chanted in unison
"We could look for somewhere on the internet now" they said
So they did.......an hour later.......the holiday was signed,sealed and delivered......well we hope it will be delivered.
But.......compomises had to be made.
We wanted somewhere totally secluded........they would have prefered the middle of a metropolis......we booked a cottage in a tiny village 5 miles from a town....so they could afford the taxi fare back at night.


 We wanted a quiet, peaceful holiday........they wanted somewhere near civilisation.......we booked a cottage quarter of a mile from a pub........we can all stagger back at night.
We wanted interesting places to visit.......they wanted to sunbathe [a bit optimistic in a UK summer!!].......we booked a cottage by the beach.......within driving distance of lots of interesting places.......which they may be glad of if the unreliable British sun doesn't materialise.
So now we're looking forward to our holiday......and they are to theirs........we may sometimes meet in the middle!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And the moral of this short story is...............probably.........don't mention a holiday to your kids until it's booked........unless they're under 12 16!!!!!

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lovely story Jacky and very good advice to bare in mind for the future!

Amy said...

Well, I hate to say it Jacky, but my siblings and I are all in our 30's and we regularly go on holidays with our parents - they apparently love it .... or are good actors!

Happy Mother's Day :-)

Mary B said...

I love it and the compromises are great a holiday to please all, hope you have a great time when it comes around.

Unknown said...

Awww, I think it lovely that they still want to go on holiday with you.

What we often do is holiday in a similar place to my parents (and last time my sister and her family as well) but all in separate places, so we can meet up both on purpose and by accident and enjoy being together but also have our own budgets and all do the things we want individually. Last time we were on three very different campsites on three different sides of Bodmin.

Ila said...

I Love your Fabulous layout!! Great story too. We have a cabin booked for this year already (an anual thing). Very similiar to your holiday..close to pub, water and beach. All our kids come out. We have a great time..(once all the details are ironed out..lol)..Hugs, Ila

Lauren Hatwell said...

LOL. You've made me chuckle. I must commit this very good advice to memory... Lx

Sian said...

Ha! A cautionary tale indeed. Now, we have one of 12 and one of 16 so I'm wondering where we go from here..

Great post Jacky - and you have a wonderful Mothers Day!

Jo said...

A great story and a wonderful layout. Enjoy your Mother's Day :)

Anonymous said...

What a delightful story. Love how you found comprimises to suit everyone. Enjoy it when it comes.

alexa said...

What a lovely Mum and Dad, who make space for their children, even if it wasn't what they had envisaged originally! Happy Mothering Sunday to you!

Susanne said...

Great story; you never know what children will want from the minute they start talking, I believe.

Fiona@Staring at the Sea said...

How lovely that they were so eager to join you. I hope my children will still want to come on holiday with us for many years to come:)

Fiona x

Jimjams said...

LOL - love the compromises - hope that you ALL enjoy your holiday together. I loved going on holiday with my parents once I was grown up, having hated it for a while in my teens!

Becky said...

Lovely layout and great story! We too have a holiday cottage booked for this year, although DD is not interested in anywhere lively so we are in the middle of nowhere!

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

Ha! You had me with the mention of daughters in their early twenties!

Sounds like a lovely holiday is planned for you all! Definitely something to look forward to. :o)

Kathyk said...

Pheww! Never likely to happen to me as I have no kids (in or out of their 20's!) but you should be more than a little flattered they think you're cool enough to vacation with!!! I'm sure you will all enjoy most of it!

Happy Mothers Day!

Kathyk

furrypig said...

I still love going on holiday with my parents, quality time away from the usual trappings of life. We have been away together every year for the past 8 years!! Though there were many yars before that, that our holidays were seperate so you never know what might happen!

furrypig said...

PS meant to say very clever title on your LO and the bird is gorgeous did u make it yourself?

Maria Ontiveros said...

One of my favorite holidays was the time we went on an Alaskan cruise with my parents. Wasn't sure before hand how it would work, but it's now one of my truly treasured memories. Hope your trip will be the same.
Rinda

Miriam said...

lovely story Jacky, My lad still likes to come away with us! Happy mothering Sunday to you x

Heather said...

great story :) hope you all enjoy your family time together xx

Ginger said...

LOL! Great story Jacky :) I think this might be a vacation to remember and I'm sure you will have lots to scrap! P.S. Happy Mothers Day

Unknown said...

Great Story - I am sure you will all enjoy the holiday - be sure to let us know how it went.

pinky said...

Oh bliss lol. Will take your advice onboard Jacky. Hope the holiday works out well though in the end.

Alison said...

I have to say that DD would come with us if we were going to the USA...she's always up for a trip there!
Alison xx

Tracy said...

Loved your story Jacky, hope you ALL enjoy your holiday what ever you may do.
Happy crafting
Tracy x

Cheri said...

Awesome story. I have one at 20 and two at 17 and have been looking forward to a kid-free vacation with my guy. Betting mine will always be up for a free holiday on Mom & Dad though.

Denise said...

Ha! your story has really made me smile- you will have a wonderful time :-)

Abi said...

Ha Ha! This is such a lovely story and really made me smile! xxx

Melissa said...

What a fun story and I'm sure it will be a great holiday. Great job with the writing, too! There are, of course, 20-somethings who would not be caught on holiday with their parents, so it is nice that they still want to hang out with y'all. :>)

Mary Ellyn said...

Looks like a lovely place to vacation. I read your comment about the sun shining in the summer with interest as I live near a resort beach on the East Coast and our summers are hot and sweltering!!!!

Lizzie said...

Great story, Jacky! I hope your girls realise they are very lucky, to have such kind and affectionate parents, who will compromise on their holiday arrangements, to accommodate the needs of their children - even though the children are "grown up"! I hope you all have a really lovely holiday by the seaside, with memories that you can all enjoy (and not a flooded toilet in sight!).

Anonymous said...

Actually to be truthful, we still love to take a holiday with our adult children. Last year all five of us went to Disneyland together and had a fabulous time. Maybe it's because Sarah and Adam live so far away (and soon, Matt too.) I'm hoping for lots of UK sun for your holiday! I'm sure it will be lovely.

humel said...

lol! Luckily (for us!) we're still at the stage where WE choose the holiday and the kids can like it or lump it.... I hope you all have a lovely time xx