Sally: “I was dreading this family vacation, I secretly didn't want to go”

I have three amazing but sometimes quite challenging children

Carly is 12, Anny is 8 and Sylvan is 5. My husband Dean and I had decided to go to France by car this summer. Although the idea of a vacation sounded wonderful, I was dreading the journey itself.

Every time I thought about the long drive, I could picture it

Screaming children, endless 'are we there yet?' questions, and at least one child needing to pee as soon as we hit the highway. Life with three kids was exhausting enough; what would it be like to have them all in a small space for hours, in a strange place? The thought of that long drive was already making me anxious before we had even started.

The week before departure, the house was in chaos

Piles of clothes, shoes, and toys were scattered everywhere, still needing to be packed. Carly called out from her room that she couldn't find her blue sweater, while I was trying to decide how many extra pairs of underwear to pack for everyone. Dean was getting the car ready and occasionally looked helplessly at the mountain of stuff I was stacking in the hallway. He joked that it seemed like we were leaving for a year instead of a month, but I knew he was nervous too. It was his idea to go to France, and now it seemed like he was doubting his own plan.

While packing, I felt a growing resistance

Every time I opened a new bag, I wondered why we were doing this at all. The thought of a long car ride with three children made me nervous. I had nightmares about crying children, traffic jams, and overcrowded rest stops. Each time I stuffed another pile of clothes into a bag, I found myself grumbling that this wouldn't be a vacation, but a military operation. Dean tried to reassure me by saying that everything was planned and that it would be a great vacation. I gave a weak smile, while I wondered if we would ever truly relax this summer.

Everyone in the house was busy with the preparations, but my stress level kept rising

Every time I completed a new task, it seemed like another one appeared. The children sensed my tension and started to become restless as well. Anny pulled on my sleeve because she wanted to bring her new dress, while Sylvan was stuffing his favorite stuffed animal into his bag and Carly was trying to decide how many books she could take. It seemed as though every decision I made only led to a new question.

The week before departure, I also tried to get the house a bit in order

The last thing I wanted was to come back to a total mess. But that turned out to be easier said than done. Piles of laundry, toys, and half-packed suitcases were everywhere. The house looked like a battlefield. “Why does it look like a tornado has gone through the house?”, I asked myself out loud, as I pushed piles of laundry off the couch.

The evening before departure, the house was still in chaos

I felt exhausted and wondered if this vacation was ever a good idea. Dean came over to me and put his hand on my shoulder. He tried to reassure me by saying that everything would be alright and that we just had to try to enjoy our time together. I nodded, but deep down I still felt stressed. I hoped he was right and that this would turn out to be a pleasant vacation for all of us.

I barely slept that night

My head was filled with thoughts about everything that could go wrong. What if the children got sick? What if the car broke down? What if we got lost? The worries just kept coming.

The morning of departure arrived and it was chaos

The children were excited and running around, while Dean and I tried to get the last items into the car. It seemed like every time we put something in the car, something else appeared that still needed to be packed. I grumbled that we could never leave on time, while I tried to cram the last items into the car. Dean was clearly irritated and tried to calm things down by urging everyone to cooperate for a moment.

Eventually, after a lot of hassle, we were in the car

I sighed with relief as we finally drove out of the street. It felt like a victory in itself that we had left the house. I hoped the journey would go smoothly and that the vacation would ultimately be worth it. We were going to make memories!

SALLY