Spring break trip?

Crowe wrote:
I am really disheartened at the snarky comments ...
JD, why not ask them? ...

Don't know how old your kids are now, but one thing we leaned (now that we are grandparents) about our own kids. At the time we raise them, we had our pre-conceived idea of what WE thought they would like, enjoy, and eventually become in life. BOY WERE WE WRONG! Both kids ended up being just the 100% complete opposite of what WE thought and hoped they would become in their adult lives.

Try as we may, our kids resisted activity outside, or anything that required anything new. They both resisted new places, new foods, new experiences. My daughter who was the "follower" in grade school turned out to be the dominant self-asertive one who tells Mom and Dad exactly the way "IT" is now! My son, who was the self-asertive, independent, and Mr. Know it all as a kid, ended up really messing up in love and romance, and got sucked into some really bad financial deals too. He ended up being the follower. I think he's wised up now, but still, both kids flip flopped 100% in their adult lives.

I now see my kids trying to mold their kids into "their image." We tell both our kids that it just won't work. Their kids will have their own ideas on life and it won't be the same opinions that they have. They have to let their kids follow their own heartbeat... which may be 100% opposite of what Mom and Dad wants. (We learned by heartbreak and disappointment too. I think that's just part of being a parent).

The kids reached the age they started working part time jobs. When that happened, they quit camping with us completely, and really have not had too much of a desire to camp either. We keep hoping they will flip and come back to their roots, but I think both kids are just too independent now and too strong willed. We have an excellent relationship with both kids, and all 5 of our grandchildren. But we had to accept their individuality too. When we quit imposing OUR lifestyle on them, and started letting them develop THEIR lifestyle to become independent of us, well ... we started getting along a lot better!

Bottom line... you are absolutely 100% correct! Ask the kids what they'd like to do! They can get history and science in school. If they have an interest in history and science, they will tell you if you ask them. If you don't ask, you've just imposed your idea on them, and they won't enjoy anything. Your trip will be miserable.