One of the things summer comes with it – is Freedom… that freedom being in terms of the lack of school which some how brings in a lack of structure too. This raises the bar on family activities and no I’m not talking about the local little family that cuddles in the bed on saturday morning for cartoons. I mean that entire family aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, 2nd and 3rd cousins, someone that you havent seen since the 1980’s pinching your cheeks saying how cute you’ve gotten.
With that comes the need to figure out a new balance, juggling the your family stuff verse the entire family stuff… Between the whole family gossip if you miss an event no matter how small will still have someone feeling slighted (at least in my world it does). Or it means I get 20 lectures from my mom or my sister telling me (guilt-ing me really) into trying to go.
This builds major conflict issues between my side of the family and my wife – because its wasnt her plans to spend every free weekend moment doing something or at someplace with my family. That’s been hard but I’m starting to say No a lot more as 1) our child is growing up and doesnt always find interest in the activities being discussed. 2) As I’ve noticed it seems that everything I miss no matter what is an end of the freaking world – the rapture is here issue… so its like the boy who cried wolf – after a while it stops giving the ring that it once did.
I dont really have advice on this issue – I’m sure I cant be alone on this issue… so how do you juggle the extended family verse immediate family issues?
