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[quote=Anonymous]I force myself to make some good memories anyway.

We took an expensive trip last year that was not ideal-- or 5 yr old who is normally a great traveler was in a bad mood the entire time despite a lot of effort to ensure there was plenty of stuff for her to like. I think it was just a combo of jet lag and maybe a growth spurt or a hormonal shift the made her grumpy, but it became the central feature of the trip and everyone grew very weary of her constant complaining and grumpiness by the end of the trip. I remember being on the plane home and thinking briefly "ugh why did I put so much effort and money into this?!"

But then a shoved that thought out of my head and started talking with my kids and spouse about the stuff we enjoyed-- the cool things we saw, the favorite place we stayed, the best food we'd eaten. We even managed to get the 5yr old to admit she liked a few things. When we got home I sorted the photos and made a vacation album, and we kept it in the coffee table the rest of the year.

Guess what? I now think fondly if that trip. We have some family inside jokes from it (several actually related to the 5yo's whining) that have become part of family lore. And EVEN the 5yo (now 6yo) will tell you it was one of her favorite vacations. She doesn't even remember being in a bad mood.

You have a lot more power over your memories than you think, and vacations are all about memories. Edit out the bad stuff or put a funny spin on it, talk up anything good you can think of, and stick to that version of events. It will get rosier in the year view.[/quote]

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