Farm life can be quite hectic and it was rare we ever ventured far from home. Any vacation we were able to go on was in the winter months and your options for good weather was limited a bit.
My husband and his brothers really didn’t take time out for themselves very often and only until some of the kids were old enough to help and they could hire someone, they didn’t have that opportunity to go venture.
It takes 2 people to milk cows and there is no getting by without milking them twice a day. Like any nursing mother, you just know better if you want to keep the milk production going. No vacation for the cows either!
When some of their kids grew, we started taking vacations. Fortunately the other’s kids were a little older and ours somewhat younger so we were able to take our kids at a younger age than some. But that being said, most know how it is taking kids who argue at a smaller age and our kids were no different.
Those well known phrases of ‘How much longer’ and ‘are we there yet’ held true for our household! My husband and I ended up turning the tables and we kept asking them those very questions. It became a joke and at least we could laugh.
We took the kids to Disney one year and they had so much fun! I didn’t ride too many rides on count of my back, but my husband and the kids really enjoyed them. The faster they went, the more they wanted to keep going and I couldn’t tell you the times the one particular ride was ridden with the fast pass.
Our son was doing great although he was high strung and ambitious. But we discovered a weakness that he did not like. Boats. The adventure with the Jaws set him over the edge. We were sitting on that platform of a boat and he was sitting next to a friend of ours when the mechanical Jaws come up on the side of the boat.
We never saw him move so fast! He was already nervous about the boat but in that moment, it took him maybe one second flat to jump over a few laps and onto ours! He shook and cried! I can’t remember how old he was but couldn’t have been under 5 or so. His demeanor would have never shown he was scared of anything but that poor baby was traumatized!
Now our daughter was the opposite. She was one for a adventure and welcomed wanting to touch and climb toward it. It is amazing how different kids can be. But really, it’s amazing how different each of us are. I found that when we spent time away, we saw differences in each other and not just the obvious ones you see at home.
We took smaller trips and one day get always here and there. As our son aged, he still had a thing for boats, but has since been on a few and did quite well. We went camping with the same friends we went to Disney with and when the group went out on their boat, the Disney Jaws experience was a popular conversation. He probably won’t ever live that one down, but at least his fears of boats has eased.
I recall another time we went to see my sister and her husband in North Carolina. He was probably about 10 or so and we drove our van onto a ferry to go across. His little ole self sat in the van almost the whole time and he missed some of the dolphins. I think he got out a little probably because he didn’t want to be by himself, but I remember him clinging to the rail and my husband to look out through the rails.
About a year ago he visited friends in Florida. He called to tell me he was going out on their boat. I though, “Oh no!” He did well and had a great time, that is, until their boat broke down 2 hours out into the ocean! They had to call for the Coast Guard to get them back. His experiences with boats have not been that good.
I think we all have some sort of phobia. Of course, I’m not going to tell you mine! But I can tell you that in each experience of a phobia, you can overcome them by faith and gently introducing them into your life. The more experience, the easier it gets. It reminds me of the Bible verses that encourage overcoming. Psalms 9:9 says that The Lord is our refuge for the oppressed in times of trouble. Reach out and ask a Him to help!
