“See you next week,” I told my 10-year-old as he slipped through the doorway with his duffel bag. My 14-year-old was already in the car, eager for a break from us and our home. “I’ll miss you,” I called from the mud room, and then my husband’s car backed out of the driveway to meet my in-laws halfway between our homes.
Every year, for the last six years, my boys spend a week or two in Virginia with my in-laws at their house after the excitement of summer camp and family vacation has settled.
Living five hours away from them, my kids don’t get as much quality time with their grandparents during the school year as they’d like. Often, we spend winter or spring break at an Airbnb catching up with them, but it’s hard to find additional extended time when they’re not in school and everyone’s schedules align.
They make up for lost time, and it is nothing short of a spectacular vacation for everyone involved.
My kids get to connect with their grandparents
Temporarily relocating to the home where my husband grew up, my boys explore his childhood surroundings while forming a deep connection with their grandparents. From daily swims at their local indoor and outdoor community pools — along with private swimming lessons — to frequent games of mini-golf, their schedules are jam-packed with all their favorite activities.
Each summer, my in-laws and kids draft the daily schedule together on FaceTime in the weeks leading to their reunion. A day in Colonial Williamsburg experiencing an authentic 18th-century living history museum always makes the cut. Afternoons are spent exploring local museums, including the latest exhibits at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Science Museum of Virginia. A visit to Jamestown, where the first permanent English settlement was established, is also scheduled yearly.
During quiet mornings — or between activities — they bake treats, watch movies, and do puzzles. As an added bonus, my kids reconnect with their aunt and uncle, who live nearby, and visit my in-laws’ friends and neighbors, whom they also look forward to seeing each summer.
Amid revisiting beloved destinations, they also have new experiences that set each summer apart from the rest. Last year, they enjoyed watching the Chili Peppers, a collegiate summer baseball team, play ball. During a couple of summers, they spent a day in Washington, D.C., visiting museums, including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, an experience my president-loving 10-year-old will never forget. A personal magic lesson from the local, acclaimed magician was enjoyed one summer, too.
My boys crave the change of pace, from the activities and change of scenery to the shift in food. My home-cooked dinners, which lose their novelty throughout the school year, are replaced with meals prepared from a fresh perspective. Their grandmother’s famous lasagna and grandfather’s delectable cottage cheese pancakes are a perk they look forward to each visit. Restaurants like Peter Chang’s, which my kids love but can only enjoy in Virginia, return to their palates once again.
At first, I worried about them
When we first started these visits in 2021, my boys were 10 and 7, and naturally, I worried about them being five hours from home. Sure, they were under the care of their grandparents, who love them just as we do, but knowing I wasn’t there if they needed me triggered my motherly anxiety.
But over the years — as I’ve watched them look forward to these special visits and return home with another summer of memories — I’ve come to realize that this time away from one another is not only wonderful for them; it’s also healthy and necessary for all of us. A short break strengthens our relationship afterward.
While our kids enjoy their own vacation, my husband and I reconnect. In 2023, while my kids were in Virginia, my husband and I took a child-free getaway to Bermuda. The last two years, we stayed home because my husband had to work, but our evenings took on a whole new meaning. We rediscovered all our favorite restaurants through daily date nights and drank the cocktails we enjoyed in our younger years. When my husband had a shorter day at work, afternoons were spent strolling around the trendy town where we met or enjoying an outdoor meal with friends. Temporarily, we returned to the freedom of our newlywed years.
When my boys return home after their visit, I’m ready to dive back into the hustle of another school year. I’m physically rejuvenated and mentally prepared for everything motherhood brings during the back-to-school season. And my boys are ready to fall back into our routine, as well.
This time, my boys spend each summer with their grandparents has become a tradition written into their lives with permanence. Not only does it provide memories that my in-laws and kids will hold onto forever, but it’s also the peaceful break that my husband and I never knew we needed.
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