Extraordinary Tuesday: Two for Tuesday

Welcome everyone to Two for Tuesday. I am Karie from The Five Fish and I post every Tuesday about parenting and life discussions and how we can balance out the role being a parent and being an individual as well as finding a balance with ourselves and with our children.


Our family just returned from our VERY first vacation. I was completely anxious and a total wreck about how I would handle the boy and the twins while at a theme park, the beach, and out of town period. Sounds trivial right? But our family has completely avoided any trips anywhere other than around town because of the fear and anxiety of traveling with twins, let alone traveling with more than one child.

However, I devised a plan to be able to keep track of all the kids at the same time in the event one or more than one started to separate from our pack, I would dress them all in the same shirt and or same colors. I know this may sound crazy, but I actually consulted with a twin mom who said she puts her kids in obnoxious Hawaiian shirts in order to keep track of her kids. The plan actually worked and helped to keep my mind at ease while in the park.

Next, how would we manage the beach. Miles of open water and shores with three ever curious, obstinate, children who have their own agendas. I took the whole event as "we'll see when we get there." Am I ever glad I did. Rather than letting my fear of "what if" take over I rolled with the punches and acted like a kid myself and enjoyed the newness of the sand, the smell, the sounds. I let my excitement get the better of me and I too started to feel like a kid again seeing the ocean for the first time.

At that moment I knew that my children were playing off of my emotions more than ever. I knew I had to relax, enjoy the moment, guide them, but to take each moment as it came. They were reacting to my stresses and anxiety and when I began to relax and enjoy myself they enjoyed themselves more than their little minds could fathom.

What I learned with taking our first family vacation is that you cannot plan enough; stops, snacks, drinks, packing, clothing and events. I also learned that you can over plan and over analyze how you think your trip may turn out. When I realized I was worrying too much about what could go wrong I saw how much had gone right and how much I was missing or going to miss by worrying. As parents our job is to worry, but we often forget to enjoy ourselves as well.

With Spring Break shortly upon us what are your family plans? Do you have any? Have you thought about taking a trip but are apprehensive because of your children and the "what if's?" What do you do to overcome your fears?