On Friday, we took the shuttle from our camp ground to one of the visitor stations at the Grand Canyon (south rim); we were to participate in a 45 minute Ranger presentation/guided walk along the rim. This was the first time the kids and I had ever seen the Grand Canyon so we were all pretty amazed. I saw a great spot for a group photo of the kids, but Harold said we couldn’t stop, we didn’t have time. I could only think, “We don’t have TIME???? We’re on vacation—for a MONTH for crying out loud!!!!” That was strike one.We got to the Ranger presentation and the presenter had just started speaking—it was really informal, lots of question/answer/discussion—and she pointed at MaKenzie and said, “Do you have a question?” (Evidently, MaKenzie had raised her hand unbeknownst to us.) MaKenzie said, “I have to pee.” The ranger said, “That’s a request that Mommy & Daddy better not ignore.” Obviously she doesn’t know MaKenzie (she has to pee every 5 minutes—it’s her latest hobby—she really does go every time, but she can also hold it longer when necessary), but in order to not make a scene (who, me, make a scene????) I went ahead & took her. The bathroom was a 5 minute walk away. That was strike two.
So, after the extremely boring Ranger presentation that basically was a combination “opportunity for some female ranger who likes to hear herself talk” / course in evolution that I could’ve happily skipped out on, (although it made for a good opportunity to discuss a few things with the kids), we decided to go for a walk. Harold said he thought according to the map it looked to be a little less than a mile. I said okay. It was hot, I was sweaty, a large portion of the walk was uphill, we were all thirsty and all the water we brought was gone and the “little less than a mile” walk was actually closer to 2 miles. That was strike three. I was out. I had had it. I was done. I turned into a complaining, whiny baby. I’m not telling you this because I’m proud of it, but rather so you can see the “reality TV” side of our trip.
All I could think about during the last ½ mile or so was that not only do we still have to board the shuttle (Riding the shuttle is an experience in itself since we have 3 in strollers or wheelchairs which have to be tied down. There are usually passengers who have to move in order for us to have those spots, which makes for awkward relations with fellow travelers.), ride to the campground, walk to the RV from the shuttle stop (only about 200 yards or so—but I could barely put one foot in front of the other!), and change & cleanup the littles; but after all of that THEN I still had to fix dinner. That line of thinking somehow failed to improve my attitude.
As usual, Harold, my knight in shining armor, saved the day. He took us all out to eat at one of the restaurants here in the park. I think we went through about 4 pitchers of water. The waitress finally got smart & just left us a pitcher. Eating out was the perfect antidote for my attitude. Figures, huh? Someone else cooked; someone else cleaned it up; all the kids got to pick what they ate, so everyone liked what we were having; and I got to relax in my seat in the pretty, air conditioned dining room. Now THAT’S what I call a vacation!!!
We finally made it back to the RV, exhausted, but in a much better frame of mind. I made my apologies to my family for my poor example and bad attitude. I cath-ed MaKenzie, changed Jared & Matthew, got PJ’s on everyone, and went to bed. I think we all slept like rocks!
The moral of the story is that sometimes Mom acts worse than the kids; but if you apologize, you might be lucky enough to have a daughter like my Lena who will lean over, hug you, and say, “It’s okay Mommy. We forgive you. We still love you.” If nothing else, that kind of response will inspire you to do better next time. (The picture that follows is from a different day.)
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