"Family vacations are supposed to be exciting adventures with the ones you love the most. I've always pictured a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc in hand, my husband in tow, and the kids asleep in their color-coordinated pajamas. That's what I hoped for my vacations, but they've been the exact opposite. Instead of exploring new places and making lasting memories, they've become my annual reminder that, as a mom, my labor starts weeks before anyone even steps foot in the car or onto a plane."
"My left eye twitched for 10 hours straight - the duration of the flight - and my jaw was so tight I thought I had permanently realigned my teeth. As we walked into the godforsaken resort, my husband dared to ask, "Hey, what's for breakfast tomorrow?" The question enraged me. It was a specific kind of rage that only a woman who spent all her time meticulously planning a vacation could feel. Yes, I screamed internally."
A mother describes how family vacations require extensive invisible labor that begins weeks in advance and falls primarily on her. She handles logistics including packing everyone’s suitcases, finding flight deals, booking hotels, arranging transportation, managing snacks, assembling first-aid kits, tracking charging cords, and building activity schedules. Her husband contributes a destination and funds but little logistical effort. The planning causes significant stress manifested physically with prolonged eye twitching and jaw tension during a flight. Small questions from other family members during the trip trigger intense frustration. The overall result is exhaustion and regret instead of rest and enjoyment.
Read at Scary Mommy
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