Have Trauma, Will Hover at the Beach

‘Vacation’ is a funny word for a single mother of young children. Before having children, the term ‘vacation’ would invoke a feeling of relaxation, but it doesn’t mean what it used to mean. Now it means I will move my exhausted self and young children to a different place, so I can do the same activities with the same unrealistic schedule. Nonetheless, we go to the beach every year. I pick the beach because it is the least painful of the options. I live within a few hours of numerous beaches so there are no long trips or plane tickets. I don’t have to drag them (and more importantly their stuff) all over a city while trying to keep their attention at tourist attractions that may or may not be age-appropriate. And to be fair, they love the beach. They start to jump up and down the minute they see the ocean and the sand. I know this will sound un-American, but I don’t like the beach. I am far too OCD for sand, and kids get sand in places that would seem impossible to the average nonparent. I have never seen so much sand. I always stay where there is a pool. If we cannot find all the sand at the beach shower (we never do), I can just tell them to go swim in the pool for fifteen minutes. That is my saving grace. Of course, their love and my dislike for the beach is not my point. The challenge with a beach setting (and many other places) for a single mother is children never want to do the same thing. One kid wants to ride waves and the other kid wan...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Authors: Tags: Anxiety and Panic Children and Teens Disorders General Mental Health and Wellness PTSD Self-Help Women's Issues Beach Vacation Beaches Dislike Fifteen Minutes Having Children How To Manipulate People Occasional Moments Parano Source Type: blogs