First holiday with our adopted child

I was on Facebook a few days ago, and as Facebook often does, without any prompt of my side, it showed me a picture of Diego and me on holiday. Couldn’t come at a better time, just few day before we leave for our summer holiday.

I looked at the picture a bit better: both of us looked so much younger! When was this taken? Oh yes, Paris, 5 years ago. Incidentally, that was our last holiday.

Everything was so different then. We went to Paris for a 3 days city break, but we were having such a good time that, at the very last minute, we decided to stay there 3 days longer. I bet we wouldn’t be able to do it now! Impulsiveness and adoption don’t really get along!

In a few days, we will be heading to Wales, Snowdonia National Park, for our first family holiday. I was looking forward to it, imagining long walks in the woods, a day at the beach, relaxed lunches at the pub, and just enjoying being in each other company. I can hardly wait. That was until yesterday morning when few parents at playgroup spoiled it for me.

Everyone was so eager to share their holiday adventures, and mostly what went wrong. One family forgot the son’s favorite dummy at home, and the little boy cried himself to sleep every single night for a whole week. One dad told me that his adopted children were really happy and excited to be visiting some relatives in Scotland, but they had a huge meltdown in the evening because they wanted to go back home and sleep in their beds. One mum told me that her girl, who never suffered car sickness before, puked all over her dad’s head after two hours in the car.

At every story, at every unlucky event, at every unfortunate detail, I could feel my breathing getting faster and faster: panic button, panic button, don’t want to hear anymore!

This is the first time Ben will be sleeping somewhere other than his bed since the day he was placed with us over two years ago. This will be his first holiday. I’m not even sure he actually understands what a holiday is!

Probably I’m too late already, but today I started our holiday preparation:

1. I told Ben we are going away, explained we will be coming home after 5 nights, showed him a picture of the hotel (which by the way, it looks like the fairytale house where the good witch lives).
2. We bought a nice Scoobydoo luggage and I asked him to put all his favourite things inside to bring with us: books, cars, diggers, Boris the giraffe and Choco the Tucan. He also packed his favourite blanket and night light.
3. We looked at family pictures and Life Book and I explained that once back we will have more memories to add to the ones we already have.
4. Finally, I explained what we will be doing, and mostly where we will be eating.

I think that the words “restaurant” and “food” won him over.

Perhaps, this will be our only chance to get away before being approved as a foster family.

Now that I think of it, next holiday will be even more challenging: more kids, more drama, more stress… Just more fun, I guess.