The Best Part

Spring break has officially come to a close. As I was preparing for this week home with the kids, I started hearing the plans other families had for the week. Some were going to Disneyland, Hawaii, or Mexico. Slowly I noticed some mom guilt creeping in.

Those are not the type of spring break trips my kids are ever likely to have. For one thing, my husband always has to work on spring break. Even if he was home, our family vacations usually consist of camping and exploring National Parks. We have four kids and one income. We try our best to create new experiences for our kids within a budget.

When I see pictures from other families’ vacations, there is a part of me that wonders if I’m cheating my children of life experiences. When they have a family of their own, are they going to rush to Disneyland at the first opportunity since they were robbed of that experience as a child?

With a little guilt still lingering in my mind, I tried to plan a spring break that my kids would enjoy even though we were staying home. I packed the days with special treats and activities. No one was going to say they were bored during this break!

Throughout the week we went on several hikes and bike rides. On one of the hikes, the kids veered off the trail and got lost for a bit. I tapped into my best adventurous spirit and just wandered the woods for a bit with my kids. We used Google maps to find our way back to our car, and I treated them to ice cream afterward.

I hosted three separate sleepovers. We rented movies, and I cooked meals that contained all the gluten, fat, and sugar that I normally try to avoid. My daughter finally purchased the hamster that she had spent months saving money for and researching. In addition, we picked out eight sweet baby chicks to add to our flock of hens.

Smack in the middle of the week my youngest had his 4th birthday, and we spent the day making him feel special. As the weather took a turn for the worse toward the end of the week, I even let my kids play with kinetic sand right in the middle of the kitchen table. Advertisers try to convince us that all the sand sticks together in one neat pile, but all moms know that is a lie. Sand was embedded in clothing, on each seat, and a fine layer drifted across the table and floor.

Overall, the week was packed, and I was exhausted. I pressed on with the plans I had for each day because I was encouraged by the feedback from my kids. Each day they kept telling me that this was the best spring break ever! Obviously, all my planning was paying off, and the sacrifice of not accomplishing anything on my to-do list was worth it.

On the very last day of vacation as we were all preparing for school to start the next day, I asked my kids what the best part of the week was for them. One of my sons responded, “Playing games.” One daughter said, “Getting to paint our fingernails.” Another daughter said, “Reading a chapter out of our book by the fire.”

I was a bit puzzled. Perhaps they had forgotten all of the activities and adventures we had been on that week. The week did kind of fly by in a blur. Playing board games is something that we normally do as a family, and so is painting our nails. Currently, my daughters and I are reading through the book A Wrinkle in Time. One evening over spring break we laid on our stomachs in front of the fireplace. We silently read a chapter together. How in the world could these be the memories that stood out the most to them?

I then tried to clarify their answers. I rattled off all the things that we had done that week and then asked, “Really, your favorite part of the week was silently reading a chapter out of a book together?” My daughter looked up at me and said, “Yes. I just really love spending time with you.”

I was speechless.

Maybe I wasn’t wrecking my kids’ dreams by not going on elaborate vacations. Maybe I didn’t need to pack every day to the brim with activities. Maybe I didn’t need to be exhausted each day to satisfy the needs of my children. Maybe what my kids enjoyed the most was just me being available to them.

All of a sudden, any remaining guilt was lifted. God has given me my unique kids for a reason, and I am just the right mom for them. We may not travel the world together, but there will be board games, fingernail painting, and books.