Child V. Parent.

Should we ask for things?

Should we expect things?

What is needed for a child-parent relationship to succeed?

Support?

Love?

Presence?

Emotional presence?

Physical presence?

Turns out, it's tolerance.

ESPECIALLY when we have kids.

Why do we give away our wants for our kids?

I surely never recall my own parents giving up their wants for me......OR ESPECIALLY, NEEDS...

(Cough, my health, for instance.)

Who needs health anyways?!?

Insert multiple hour road trips, where they both chain smoked in a fake, unneeded, wood paneled sided, minivan, WITH THE WINDOWS CLOSED--- AND I WAS AN ONLY CHILD, without a care in the goddamn world.

And that was to Maine.

A quick EIGHT hour jaunt.

I was driven to the Chicago in the same style.

BOTH of my parents never batted an eye, as they chain smoked their way to the Midwest.

16 plus hours of inhaling cigarettes.

Their only child in the backseat.

Precious cargo?

Not so much.

My mother, the1st mate, always had a constant cigarette hanging out of her mouth,while unfolding the map, telling the commandant, my dad, the directions, simultaneously, wiping away the ashes as they fell onto the map.

I am still unsure as to how we didn't die of a car fire.

A fire hazard on wheels.

If I were to write a book, it would be called, "Two Smokers, A Map, and A Kid."

The follow up would be be, "Life in A Minivan As An Only Child."

I can confidently say, both of my parents blew smoke right into my eye sockets, and felt exactly ZERO remorse.

Bring back savage.

Kids are getting soft.

They think things are about,get ready for it, THEM!

Can you imagine?!?

I am here to say, you can tell your children, with authority, that they are on YOUR schedule, and YOUR timeline, and you do not need to feel bad, AT ALL.

So, even though I may not blow smoke in my kids faces', you can be rest assured children,when we are on vacation, we are going to do what I WANT TO DO.

Your opinion?

Irrelevant.

Because, it is literally, at MY expense.

Mom, Dad, I get it now.

I totally get it.

So in lieu of smoking, I will blast the music of MY choice, for 4 hours.

And make my kids help me look for shells.

This is TECHNICALLY MY vacation.

You're welcome I let you join me.

Without remorse.

So, buckle Up kiddos, vacation, here, we, come.

Xoxo,

C.