I recently read an article on MSNBC.com that talked about how fewer Americans are taking vacations this summer as a result of the recession. According to a new AP-Gfk Poll, a third of Americans surveyed said they’ve already canceled at least one trip this year because of financial concerns.
Like many other articles that discuss the effects of the recession, the MSNBC piece was depressing. However two of the people interviewed in the article brought up something I feel is very important: just because you don’t have money for a vacation this year doesn’t mean you have less time to spend with the kids outdoors.
Many people forget that the real reason for vacationing isn’t about sightseeing or getting a tan. It’s about spending quality time with the family. If you can’t afford to escape to the Caribbean this summer, there’s plenty of other, inexpensive ways to play with the kids and create fond memories.
If you engage in backyard games with your kids—games like “kick the can,” “freeze tag,” and “cops and robbers,” your kids will be on cloud nine. They will have tons of fun and it doesn’t have to be somewhere special. It could be at a local beach or park or even some nearby sand dunes. Invite the neighbors, they may not be vacationing either.
When the kids are older, they’ll never forget the times you all played together outside for hours on end. Children aren’t impressed by expensive airfare or luxurious hotels. They’re impressed by things like their dad hitting a home run in a pick-up game of baseball or their mom teaching a new way to play “capture the flag.”
These are the memories they’ll keep for a lifetime.
— MB
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