How was the family vacation? Nice, but also exhausting somehow? Because the hope of relaxation has gotten a little under the wheels or between the grains of sand? The promise of relaxation on a family vacation is not unlike the pseudo giant Tur Tur that Jim Knopf and Lukas the locomotive driver encounter in Michael Ende’s classic children’s book in the desert. It seems huge, but the closer the two railroad adventurers get, the more it shrinks.
You set out full of anticipation: wonderful neighborhood, beautiful pool, sun terrace. There will be time for each other and for two or three books. What’s going to go wrong with the recovery? Well, expectations may have been a bit high. Children who sleep poorly at home usually do the same when they are on vacation. Coughs, runny nose, diarrhea do not know a vacation. The pool is covered with algae and the siblings are arguing loudly on the sun terrace about who is responsible for the hole in the inflatable shark. The pseudo giant mutates into a garden gnome, maybe he’s wearing a sun hat and a delicate tan after all. But instead of feeling relaxed, you feel the same as before your vacation and also at least two weeks older.
Speaking of old age: that is the eternal promise of the early childhood years. Once the little ones get bigger, everything becomes easier. And – spoilers – it really is. Big children pack their suitcase themselves, no longer whining in the car, but rather steer it patiently through the traffic jam towards the south, not only going shopping voluntarily, but also cooking a fantastic spaghetti sauce. Siblings can still argue, but parents can then go to the beach bar for an Aperol with a clear conscience: they will manage that too.
The catch: These young people are not only pleasant travel companions, but relentlessly reveal the shortcomings of their middle-aged companions. Are already on their way to the best ice cream parlor in town while mom is still trying to align the smartphone for the route. Stay relaxed when something doesn’t work out, while the over-50 generation is frantically sweating. They have mastered the art of simply letting go of a day without a plan or travel guide, but with a lot of curiosity about the unknown. So they are exactly as cool as you thought you were yourself. Well And so you may be more relaxed than after a holiday with small children – but you definitely have aged by years.