Car repairs-
So, my van is showing it's age. I've known there was something a bit funky about it, but, afterall, it's 10 years old and cars GET funky by then. We knew it needed brakes, we had no idea it needed all this other stuff. We'll have to save up to get the rest of the repairs done. They were kind enough to explain which were more critical than others so we know which repairs should come first.
It's so difficult to know what you should do in terms of money. We really needed to visit with Steve's family and make the trip to Cleveland. It was too tempting not to take the kids to Cedar point while we were there. Kids don't understand car repairs over a great summer vacation. I think that my husband really wanted to show them the park of his youth and make it a great summer for them.
Well, the car repairs just aren't exciting and , well, they just don't seem to get the same bang for the buck either. I'd much rather have that excitement of the kids having a fabulous day (or two or three) than the van fixed at the moment. If I was very responsible, I probably wouldn't be feeling this way. if I was like my parents, I know I would have had the van fixed. But, I never went to an amusement park as a child. I was in HS before I saw Disney World, and that was a date to grad nite. We just didn't have fun like that in my family.
We went on one vacation and it was to visit family in Pa and W.V. Not that it wasn't interesting seeing other places, but it sure wasn't like a wild ride on a coaster. Seeing coal for the first time just isn't the same. My family (I guess) felt like living in Florida was LIKE a vacation, so we didn't need to go away for one. We would go to my Dad's hunting camp some times. Still in Florida, but a different part. (not as nice either) I don't recall my Dad even going to the beach, but he did go fishing. I don't remember my mom going either, but she was red-headed and burned easily.
My husband's family took vacations. They went to Cedar Point every year. In fact, it was so cool to ride a ride with my kids that their grandmother rode when she was a child. I loved that idea of sharing that experience with them, an intergenerational ride!
I want my kids to remember having fun in their childhood. I want them to remember riding a roller coaster with their mom and we were all laughing and screaming. It's priceless to me.