…is that it always ends up costing me more money to come home than it did to actually leave.

There was the time, when I was in Mexico and I saw the cutest little baby dolls in the airport, as we exited the building. Sold for $10, I was convinced that I’d certainly be able to find them for MUCH cheaper in the cities that we were visiting, and so I didn’t buy them for my girls. Big, bad move. I spent the rest of the vacation feverishly hunting for teeny dollies, not satisfied with any that I saw. When I finally returned to the airport, the dumb dolls had disappeared.

There is a similar story for each trip I’ve taken sans kids,. The revolving glow in the dark torches from Rockefeller Center, the change purses from Jamaica, the t shirts from Vancouver (we travel for my husband’s job) - each and every trip means that I’m hunting for souvenirs, searching for the right thing, and knowing, deep in my heart, that whatever I buy for them won’t be enough. In a month or two, those treasured items will be consigned to the back of the closet or shoved under the sofa, only to appear on vacuuming day.

They don’t want the trinkets, the junk, the doodads and stuff. They want me. Next time, I’ll save my money for a massage and use the Zoints I have credited to purchase something new for us, something that is fun and family friendly, something we can all play together. Maybe a board game, or roller blades for all of us. It’s a win-win for all of us - I can relax on my trip, the kids get something new, and I can feel confident that I’ve done my part to share.