The Village

We've been having some serious debates around here about what to do with our upcoming summer vacation.  It's nice to have options, but it's also a little challenging.  Everyone has an opinion.  

There are some definites...
Girls Camp in June
Scout Camp (also in June)
Choir Camp (Flowering Buttercup)
Strings Camp (Spell Girl)
South Padre Island for a week of playing on the beach while the Scout Master slaves away at work in McAllen... I love that tradition!

But we have a few options with the rest of our summer...
Hawaii?
EFY in Provo?
EFY in San Antonio?
the whole month of July in Utah??
Church History trip?
Washington DC?
Disney World?

The Scout Master and I are feeling a little urgency to make these next few years of vacations kind of impactful ones (I don't know if impactful is a word or not, but I'm using it) because after the summer of 2015, our family dynamics are going to change a whole lot!!  Can you believe that?  In two years, we'll be planning a summer of packing, preparing and moving Flowering Buttercup off to college.  (...sniff...)

A few of those trips have been postponed or completely eliminated from the list for reasons beyond our control, so at this point (in Feburary...a whole 4 months away) we're kinda leaning toward the Church history trip or the DC trip.  Some of the people in our house are not thrilled about that possibility, though.  Some of us really, really like summers in Utah.  Some of us have only ever spent summers in Utah.  And some of us have no idea what could be enticing or interesting in dumb old Washington DC.  

One of the more strongly opposed teenagers in our house took up her cause with her favorite teacher at the middle school, who happens to be the former YW President in our ward.  We've gotten used to waiting a little while longer after school for this daughter to have her daily connections with Mrs. Braithwaite.  Yesterday she was VERY late coming out after school, so I figured the conversation must be a pretty good one.  I have no idea what they said in that classroom, but when my DC-hating daughter got into the van, she said, "I think you're right.  Washington DC sounds like a great idea!"  (What???)

I wanted to run right into the building and hug that woman.  

In one relatively short conversation, she changed the mind of a stubborn, sulky 14-year-old.  She did what the Scout Master and I have tried for weeks to do...she convinced her to consider something different.  

I cannot tell you how much I LOVE having a village of wonderful, wise, thoughtful, caring adults to help us raise these kids.  Sometimes they get tired of hearing their parents' voices...probably more often than we'd like to admit.  Sometimes another neutral person can say the same thing we've been saying in a totally different way that makes it a little more palatable.  Sometimes it's just good to get a second opinion.  

I am so grateful for all the Mrs. Braithwaites out there, for amazing teachers, youth leaders, Bishops and neighbors who make up this complete little community of surrogate parents for my children.  It totally does take a village to raise a child.