Family Vacations: Today vs. Previous Generations

Vacation – we long for them to spend the time with our family, relax, decompress, and get out of the day-to-day routine.

To let loose. To forget our troubles and stresses. We want to forget the ‘real world’ for a short time and enjoy ourselves and/or our families.

When our vacation was fast approaching, I was getting excited about our family time together and the new adventures we will be having as a family.

Especially when you see others visiting the same place (or close to) where we will be staying.

DIFFERENCE IN VACATIONS TODAY VS PAST GENERATIONS

The trend I am noticing with all of these people (individuals, couples, families, everyone) is that even when they are on vacation they tend to worry about the world outside of what we want to/came to enjoy.

What I mean by worrying about the world outside is that they are super busy about making sure everyone else knows what they are doing via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.

I understand that people want to share their experiences with everyone and that is GREAT.

Seeing pictures that people post about their trips is GREAT!

I enjoy seeing their adventures and want to see them!

Getting ideas of what to do with MY family by what others do too – which is completely awesome!

Being able to have your entire trip planned out (where you will be staying with arrival and departure dates/times) is also some of the things that older generations did not have the convenience of – you kinda just drove until you got to a hotel/motel and seen if they had openings.

Past generations did NOT have the benefit of these types of things – they had to find out about them by either going or someone telling you about their experience after they got back.

Something else that past generations did not have to deal with though is to live up to everyone else’s standard or opinions while on their vacations. Not everything had to be picture perfect.

PERSONAL APPREHENSIONS

I don’t know if anyone else thinks of this or not BUT I also worry because when you post vacation pictures (or your countdown to vacation) on social media you are telling everyone that you are not going to be home.

Your home will be empty. Prime time for someone to want to break in to steal, etc. I get this is not the case with everyone but it IS the case for our home.

Our dogs are home. My mother-in-law comes to feed them and let them out. She feeds the chickens. Checks on our home in general to make sure no one is snooping around or have broken in.

I am curious, does anyone ever think of these things?

Are we so worried about the outside world keeping up with us that we don’t care if we are leaving OUR world vulnerable?

Are we too busy trying to show everyone that we are enjoying our vacation that we don’t actually take the time to enjoy it?

WHAT ARE WE TEACHING FUTURE GENERATIONS?

My thing that I am concerned with is what are we teaching our children about vacations? Life in general anymore actually?

They soak in everything – even the things that we don’t want them to.

So, are they soaking up the fact that we are concerned with making everything in our lives look picture perfect?

Are they looking at us being worried about everything being picture perfect for everyone?

Everyone is so critical of each other anymore. We don’t build up we are not happy for each other.

Is that what we want to teach them?

As for me, I don’t want to judge or compare my life to anyone else’s. On vacation or any other time.

So, forgive me while I enjoy my BEYOND non-picture-perfect family vacations and life. In this life we are trying to teach our children that life isn’t fair and we don’t worry about anyone else except each other – build up each other, not tear each other down.

So, PLEASE share the not-so-perfect pictures. Capture real life. Share it. Embrace it. Keep those pictures od you that you don’t really like how you look in your swimsuit, one day your kids will cherish them. Show everyone that it is ok to be normal and not ‘Pinterest worthy’ for all the things.

PLEASE take everything in and enjoy the here and now with those close to you. Don’t worry about sharing pictures.

They can wait until you get back home from vacation.

You will notice as well, ALL of these pictures in this post are NOT picture-perfect.

The sun is too bright. The kids are squinting. It’s too dark. The pictures are grainy. Etcetera.

This is our life. I love it. I don’t care what anyone says or thinks.

Why? Because it’s mine and no one else’s.