My older sister’s husband’s family gets together every three years or so to go camping in northern Minnesota. All the brothers and sisters, their children and parents together blissfully coexisting and sharing memories of their childhood or whatever “normal” folks do in such a situation.
Older sis wants “our” family to join together for such an ordeal and has for many years. And since dear old dad’s health isn’t the greatest, maybe next summer would be our last chance and so.
Personally, I would be suicidal to even attempt a week with my family in a remote location without my wife and a loyal “judo expert with a machine gun” at my side at all times. If nothing else, my family has an almost infinite capacity for cruelty and violence. And quicksand-solid shifting alliances. Oddly, though, there is something quite complelling about the whole proposition. No one could predict how it might turn out. We could all behave like normal human beings for a week. Or it could be a multiple homicide (not that likely) or anything in between.
Any ideas, amusing or otherwise, are most welcome.
Bring several video cameras and you and your wife shoot all the melodrama “Blair Witch” style. Sell it to CBS and bill it as the successor to “Survivor”.
Is your sister dead-set on camping together? If you took the trip somewhere less remote, like a beach town or Vegas, you could always hide from one another.
“We’d love to stay and continue this argument about who screwed up who, but we’ve got tickets for a show…”
My extended dysfunctional family got together for a week-long vacation/reunion about 10 years ago. It was a pretty wretched experience, but no one died from the experience, and in very long-distance retrospect I’m glad I went because I saw relatives that I hadn’t seen for years and haven’t seen since (note that there was not a second reunion). My one piece of advice would be to make sure you have a way of getting away from everyone else, even if just by taking a solo hike. If possible, take your own car so you know you can escape if necessary.
The only thing that’s kept me out of long term, intense psychotherapy these many years is the fact that my family and I never went on vacations together. Anywhere. Ever.
In fact, if someone asked me to put together a list of the people I’d least like to spend a week away with, then get them all together in one remote place, add lots of food and even more alcohol then I guess that would be a family reunion. Uhn, uhn! Weddings, funerals, the occasional holiday or party, but unless there’ll be a Prozac dispenser involved, one whole, relentless week is out of the question. YMMV, however
How about making it a weekend instead of a week? Or staying at a motel instead of a campground, so that you can have time away from the rest of the family, as well as time with them? Or both?
My family has managed a camping weekend without major problems (partly because we also used the “time apart” method there also, e.g. one group going swimming, one group going to the geological museum near the campground and one group hanging around the campsite).and when we stay at a motel, with 2-3 people staying in each room (grouped according to how well they get along and/or who drove together), we can last a couple of days longer.
Lorenzo,
You have a kind of morbid fascination with the idea, don’t you? You actually want to do this even though you know it is a bad idea. And it will be your last opportunity …
If you go INSIST that you meet in a state with strict gun control laws and NOT during hunting season.
I drove [alone] on my perfect nightmare of a road [Kingman to Oatman, AZ] because I knew I would never have the opportunity to do something that … unsuitable, dangerous and stupid again. I hated it, it was horrible, I would never do it again, and I am so glad I did. But I was lucky to survive.
