Every parent knows that traveling with kids is always an adventure! Family trips used to stress me out, and I would end up not always enjoying our time together. The packing, travel time, and just the general unknowns made me anxious. Recently, though, we spent a long weekend at the beach with our church small group, and it was SO MUCH FUN. I allowed myself to relax and simply enjoy the time with family and friends. I went into the weekend with no expectations beyond having fun.
One House, Forty-Seven People
Our group of eighteen adults and twenty-nine children all stayed together in one house, and it was an absolute blast! Forty-seven people in one place sounds like it would be overcrowded and possibly stressful, but it was honestly the most fun experience. We all helped look after the kids, and the kids had playmates around at all times!
One thing I loved that our group did was a mom lunch out one day and a dad lunch the next. The parents left at the house spent time with all of the kids doing lunch, naps, pool time, etc. The ability to have large group time as well as separate mom/dad time was a great blessing during the trip.
It had been a long while since my family had been on a long trip with all of us. I was a little nervous about how it would go as we had gone through a long month of deaths on both sides of our extended family. All five of us were emotionally drained. In the end, I was so happy to see that everyone had the time of their lives. We spent two days on the beach, as well as time at the house’s pool. We shared the chore of meals with all of the families and ate together every morning and evening. My kids had the experience of going crab hunting for the first time on our last night of the trip. It was exciting for me, as a mom, to see them experience new things and grow closer to friends through the long weekend together.
Take the Trip
My simple advice to give you after this adventure with our group would be to just take the trip. Take the trip even if you worry about how everyone will behave. Take the trip even if the kids are young. Take the trip even if you feel stressed with things happening in life. Take the trip and make the memories with your family! I promise you will never regret the time you spend with family and friends growing in relationship and community with one another.
