Family Weekend

This past weekend, my little family unit went down to Georgia to merge with the larger family unit for my niece Hermana's birthday. It was her 16th birthday, so her mother planned several events for the weekend. It was several days of new experiences and fluctuating emotions. I am glad to be back to my normal routine.

I wrote a post halfway through the weekend, but my Treo decided in its infinite wisdom not to send it. In hindsight, I'm glad that it didn't get posted because it was written while I was pretty cranky. Spending more than an hour or two with my family of origin can do that to me; that's why I'm happy that we don't all live close to each other. Mary J. Blige may have had a hit with No More Drama in 2001, but I decided way before then that I wanted to distance myself from all the heated exchanges that occur between my siblings.

There were several aspects of the weekend that made me thankful once again that God gave me the children that He did. None of them have an overdeveloped sense of entitlement, so they were appreciative of all the new things they experienced this weekend like staying in a hotel for the first time. M stayed with my sister's family and was pretty self-sufficient for the entire trip. She's finally starting to turn into a responsible young adult who doesn't have to be reminded to brush her hair or help her aunt with the dishes. I didn't have to worry about any of them misbehaving, which is especially important when you are with extended family. You know how relatives can be overly critical of your parenting style. My lovely children didn't give anyone a reason to pick me apart as a mother.

ABM also enjoyed the weekend. He hates his job so much that he likes to take little get-aways. I usually discourage the idea because I'm always worried about spending money and how it will look to outsiders. I mean, I've been unemployed for quite a while so we probably look like totally irresponsible people taking trips at a time like this. However, I've decided to take a more relaxed approach. As long as our bills are paid, I will try to forget how it looks to others. My family's happiness and well-being is most important, and taking trips like this seems to make everyone a little more cheerful.