According to Hofmann: God bless the vacation friend?
My wife is all about these long vacations to the beach, a place that I despise and have trust issues with. Plus, there无毛视频檙e a lot of people there and a lot of sun, and I hate both.
Along with me forgetting to pack certain things for the trip like sunblock, suntan lotion, sun-burn-relief gel and skin-graft surgical equipment, I also forgot about the potential for my 10-year-stepdaughter, Emma, to gain what无毛视频檚 called a vacation friend.
To be honest, I never thought of the concept of a vacation friend before. I grew up with a brother, so I really didn无毛视频檛 have a desire to make a friend while on vacation.
Being an only child, Emma relies on me and her mother, Amber, for entertainment and, unfortunately, it无毛视频檚 always entertainment on demand.
无毛视频淒addy,无毛视频� she said while bobbing up and down in the motel swimming pool. 无毛视频淐an you get in and swim with me?无毛视频�
无毛视频淩eally?无毛视频� I asked from my hiding place under a blanket from the sun.
无毛视频淛ust do it, Mark,无毛视频� Amber chimed in. 无毛视频淪he无毛视频檚 bored and wants you to play with her! This is a vacation, and you have to stop being selfish by making excuses about the sun and people and fulfill Emma无毛视频檚 request because this vacation isn无毛视频檛 all about you!无毛视频�
无毛视频淢ommy, can you get in the pool, too?无毛视频� Emma asked.
无毛视频淥h, no, Emma,无毛视频� Amber said. 无毛视频淚 can无毛视频檛 get my hair wet.无毛视频�
Turns out the disinterest in our child无毛视频檚 activities led to her making a vacation friend as another girl around Emma无毛视频檚 age bobbed up and down in the motel pool and was apparently also neglected by her parents.
It seems like a pool or a playground or a taxi-cab trunk are the places where these vacation friendships are made or it can happen pretty much any place where kids are running around and eventually collide into one another like subatomic particles.
To my surprise, I found that the vacation friend totally took away our parental duty to entertain Emma because, as Emma and her friend played together in the pool, I turned to Amber and asked, 无毛视频淲hat无毛视频檚 happening? What do I do now?无毛视频�
无毛视频淵ou relax,无毛视频� Amber said.
Such an odd, alien concept! At first, I was riddled with fear to actually relax on a vacation, but I actually started getting into this 无毛视频渞elaxation无毛视频� thing.
However, the one and only downside of a vacation friend is the chance that the kid无毛视频檚 parents want to become friends with Amber and me.
My wife is a pretty open person so she can quickly make friends. I, on the other hand, don无毛视频檛. My only hope is the father is as much of an antisocial justice warrior as I am, and would rather drink bourbon, smoke cigars and yell disparaging profanities at seagulls than hang out with me.
In that case, I无毛视频檇 probably want to hang out with the guy, but I simply couldn无毛视频檛 because of my principle of avoiding people.
That无毛视频檚 what we call in the newspaper business a double-edged sword, which would be called a double-edged sword in pretty much any business except the sword-making business where it无毛视频檚 called Model No. Z9174.
The other negative of the vacation friend is getting double the responsibility of watching them when their parents see an opportunity to bail, making you the de facto parent or, better yet, a vacation parent.
Nothing better than telling your coworkers about your babysitting vacation; that无毛视频檒l make them jealous.
无毛视频淭hen the kid tried to talk us into buying a timeshare in Detroit无毛视频搒top laughing! It无毛视频檚 not funny!无毛视频�
Another negative is if the vacation friend无毛视频檚 family is the complete opposite, and they want your kid to spend a lot of time with them.
That无毛视频檚 when I start freaking out and wonder if we just lent our kid out to gypsies, cultists, people who don无毛视频檛 believe in the Dewey Decimal System or sales representatives for Detroit timeshares.
无毛视频淢ark!无毛视频� my wife yelled as I tried to build a beach fire to attract law enforcement. 无毛视频淪he无毛视频檚 only been gone five minutes!无毛视频�
无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 all the time they need!无毛视频� I screamed at her as I threw driftwood on a pile.
And, yes, now I realize I无毛视频檝e written more negatives than positives about the vacation friend, so I will change my position on the issue and encourage vacationers to avoid them at all costs, pay attention to your child, play with them if there无毛视频檚 no other alternative and make memories.
Because, someday, they无毛视频檒l be old enough to want to yell profanities at seagulls along with you and create new memories.
According to Hofmann is written by staff reporter Mark Hofmann of Rostraver Township. His books, 无毛视频淕ood Mourning! A Guide to Biting the Big One无毛视频nd Dying, Too无毛视频� and 无毛视频淪tupid Brain,无毛视频� are available on Amazon.com. He co-hosts the 无毛视频淟ocally Yours无毛视频� radio show on WMBS 590 AM every Friday.