Family holiday fun – or not | Opinion

There is excitement in the air! A school break “up north’’ means the vacationing kids and grandkids head south to descend upon the old folks for a week of sun and fun and family togetherness.

A quick look at the checkout lines in Publix and you can tell that along with fat-free cottage cheese and bottles of prune juice, the shopping carts over flow with Doritos, chicken nuggets in the shape of dinosaurs and loads of those juice boxes guaranteed to spill all over the new white carpeting.

When the fridge is filled and the blow-up mattresses are well, blown up, check out either the West Palm Beach or Fort Lauderdale airports to see grandma and grandpa smile as the kids get off the plane.

But then of course, at the end of the holiday week, you can see grandma and grandpa smile as the kids get back in the plane!

What goes on between the coming — and the going — is another story. Sometimes the visits are sweet; daughters-in-law actually think their mothers-in-law aren’t so stupid after all. Sometimes the visits are bitter; you worry your grandkids are being raised by a couple of wolves who never top growling at each other.

All that togetherness under one roof seems like a romantic idea for bonding, for connecting, to making up for all the lost time being apart. But romance, like a flower in bloom, dies quickly on the vine and slowly falls to the earth.

So how can we plan for a week of togetherness to be a happy, huggable memory?

You children are adults now. Resist telling them what to do. (A mouth guard is helpful; it will keep you from clenching your teeth!)

Their housekeeping habits probably differ from yours (read: sloppy.) Let it go and enjoy the company. Remember you’ll soon have your house back in shape. (Be sure to check behind the couch to make sure the trail of Cheerios is swept away.)

Don’t discipline the grandkids. That’s the parents’ job; you had your turn. (A mouth guard will be helpful here, too.)
We’re all prone to having petty annoyances when everyone is living under one roof. But avoid letting minor irritations get blown out of proportion. Instead, take a deep breath and walk away.

Bea Lewis is a journalist and author in Boynton Beach. She recently published “101 Tried and True Tips to Get Along with Your Adult Children, Their Spouses and Other Aliens,’’ which is available on Amazon. Contact her at Beaclewis@gmail.com.