help me decide what to do

[simba928]

A little background info: Every summer, during the same week, my whole extended family goes away. One year was to Disney World. Last year, we went on a cruise. Most of the time, though, they decide to go to Ocean City, which is where we are going this year. My cousins (all 5 of them) will be going. My one cousin is 6 months younger than me. She is clearly the favorite of the family. She can get away with anything and is looked at as perfect. When we go away, she sits on the beach and tans the WHOLE time. I don't like the beach. I HATE just sitting there, which is one of the reasons I love Disney so much, there is always something to do. My grandparents will also be going. I see them every week, but my other cousins are a lot closer to them because they live within walking distance to them and I live a little more than a half an hour's drive. They are getting older obviously and it is hard to take them anywhere now. We would eat most meals at the hotel and most of our time will be spent at the beach and pool. Honestly, I think we will only leave the hotel for dinner on some nights. We might go out once the entire week. That, to me, isn't a vacation. I will be bored out of my time.

My problem is that my HS marching band is going to Cedar Point for a day trip. I thought the date we were going was a few days after we get back from Ocean City, but it is while we are away. I really want to go to Cedar Point. I talked to my mom about it and she said I could stay at my other grandparent's and go to Cedar Point instead of Ocean City. I really don't know what to do. I think I will have a gazilion times more fun at Cedar Point than I would in Ocean City. Last night, I was thinking about it. I was trying to think of different stories that, if asked, I could tell about going away with my family. I think the most I could come up with was 2 and they are both just stupid things. Then I started trying to do the same thing, but with different trips I went on with my friends. I couldn't count them all there were so many. I think in the long run, I will have many more memories if I go to Cedar Point than if I go to Ocean City. The only thing that I think is keeping me from automatically saying Cedar Point is my grandparents. They just love seeing all their grandkids together. I think they would miss me if I weren't there, but I'm not sure that anyone else would.

What would yall do if you were me? I honestly have no idea what I want to do. My friends are more biased towards Cedar Point obviously and my family is more so towards Ocean City, so I really can't get a third party to weigh in other than you guys.

 

[MosMom]

Go to Cedar Point.

 

[FreshTressa]

You are only young with friends once....

Go to cedar point!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Well....you want to go to Cedar Point, right? Then go!

As you say your family takes a trip every year, so they will all be there next year. Going with your friends in HS is something that is once in a lifetime.

 

[simba928]

AAAHHHH!!!! I really can't win! LOL. I told my mom that I am leaning towards going to Cedar Point. She replied with "I can't believe you are going to skip a week of vacation to spend a day at Cedar Point....But do whatever you want." You know, she was doing that guilt trip thing that mom's do when they really want you to do something that you aren't sure you want to do, but don't want to force you to do it. She doesn't want me to be able to be angry with her and be able to say that she "made" me go. GGGAAHHH. Can somebody say "guilt trip"?

 

[golfgal]

Is there any way you can do both? I don't know where they are geographically, sorry. Could you go to Ocean City for a couple days and then go home to go to Cedar Point or something along those lines?

I am with you, a lay on the beach for a week isn't much fun. I can do that for a couple afternoons, maybe, but I would rather sight see. Marching Band is WAY more fun. Our oldest will have his first year in marching band starting this July and I am very excited. We have followed our towns marching band for years.

 

[eclectics]

Ignore the guilt trip and go to Cedar Point!

 

[simba928]

Is there any way you can do both? I don't know where they are geographically, sorry. Could you go to Ocean City for a couple days and then go home to go to Cedar Point or something along those lines?

I am with you, a lay on the beach for a week isn't much fun. I can do that for a couple afternoons, maybe, but I would rather sight see. Marching Band is WAY more fun. Our oldest will have his first year in marching band starting this July and I am very excited. We have followed our towns marching band for years.

Unfortunatly I can't do that. Ocean City is in Maryland. Cedar Point is in Ohio. We leave for Ocean City on the 11th and Cedar Point is the 13 and we get back from Ocean City on the 16, so even if I could, it really wouldn't make much sense because it takes like 7 hours to get to Ocean City. Also, we bring only 2 vans for my family of 4 and my aunt's family of 5 and my grandparent plus all the luggage and 2 wheelchairs. That means that we would have to somehow work it out so that we could do that. I just isn't logical for us. I wish I could, though. Then it would so much easier to make the decision.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

This is when you lay it back on her...."Mom, I know you will miss me on vacation, but I love you, I am going to Cedar Point." .....end of story.

She is laying the guilt trip on you because you are not confident. Be confident in your decision. Part of growing up.

 

[golfgal]

Unfortunatly I can't do that. Ocean City is in Maryland. Cedar Point is in Ohio. We leave for Ocean City on the 11th and Cedar Point is the 13 and we get back from Ocean City on the 16, so even if I could, it really wouldn't make much sense because it takes like 7 hours to get to Ocean City. Also, we bring only 2 vans for my family of 4 and my aunt's family of 5 and my grandparent plus all the luggage and 2 wheelchairs. That means that we would have to somehow work it out so that we could do that. I just isn't logical for us. I wish I could, though. Then it would so much easier to make the decision.

In that case I would go to Cedar Point and find another weekend to spend with your Grandparents by yourself. I think if you tell your parents that you really want to go to Cedar Point and you will call your Grandparents and find a date to visit them outside of your normal visit they will be more understanding.

 

[coolshannie]

yes i myself am a band geek and in marching band and i totally love it! wow our marching band season ended like at the beginning of second semester! lol but its starting up again at the end of august for band camp in the million degree heat in the middle of "a popular city". well if i were you i would see if there was a way for you to go to part of your trip and then go to cedar point as well because i know the guilt trip my mom does it to me ALOT.. lol and i have been in the postion where i chose the way she did not want me to choose and boy that was not a pretty picture hey what did i do right? lol moms they must speak another language

off topic: what do you play? i play the clarinet.. and i was finally 3rd chair in jv band until i sliped on my scale test last week and it bumped me down to the low chairs which i dispise oh well there is always next week! im going to kick but next week!! lol ok i just keep rambleing on and on.. omg this little guy looks so cute doing jumping jacks im just a little freshmen and i remember when our band teacher told us to do 100 jumping jacks! i was like are you kidding me? it was fun though sorta LOL ok as you can see im totally in to band but.. thats just me

 

[simba928]

coolshannie:
LOL. Wow. Our marching season ended a while ago. It ended at the last football game in like October. Then we did a parade downtown, which was fun, but we only had 1 practice for that. And then in February we went to Disney. But this is just a fun, "band bonding" type thing. We start our season up again in July. I am in the color guard, you know, the people with the flags. LOL. I love it. There are 16 people in our guard. 12 are in my grade, which is good for me, but not good for the guard. That means that if we don't get a bunch of freshmen and sophomores this coming year, when we graduate, the guard will be extremely small and have a ton of new people. Thats funny about the jumping jacks. We have to do calf raises. Our field commander will say like 200 calvies and we are like OMG, thats crazy. Usually we'll get to 100-150 and our band director will make us stop and start over because we "aren't counting together".

 

[Hannathy]

Go to Cedar Point. I love the idea of spending a weekend alone with your grandparents either earlier or later in the summer. This way you can shine ! They will enjoy it more because if they are older a whole week may be overwhelming to them and with everyone there they won't enjoy anyone. I also say Cedar Point because my goodness you see them very often so you aren't shorting them your only visit for the year. I will say it is a shame if you do go to Ocean City and only go to the beach there is so much to do there and the boardwalk is great.

 

[Ready to go in Ok]

I agree with going to Cedar Point. Of course I am biased, because I hate hate hate going to the beach. Days on end lying in the scorching sun with sand up my bum is not my idea of fun!

 

[azgal81]

I would go to cedar point as well. Parents give kids the guilt trip all the time it's just part of being a parent. It's your decision. It would be a no brainer for me but then being on vacation with my extended family for a week sounds like torture! Who wants to sit on a hot beach all day when you can actually do something during the day.

 

[Free4Life11]

I'd go with the family. Only one day at Cedar Point? Can't you just go with a group of friends some other time during the summer?

 

[disykat]

As a person, I'd say Cedar Point - as a mom, I'd say to go on the family trip. I know it will break my heart when my kids start making those decisions because I try so hard to make family trips fun for ALL of us.

Is there any way you can sit your parents down and talk to them about about the REASON you want to do Cedar Point? I think the fact that you don't have fun on your family trips is something worth talking about. Maybe you can suggest some fun activites? There needs to be some compromise so everyone can have fun.

If you were performing at Cedar Point, I think you'd have a strong case for staying home. Since it's just for fun, I think you need to factor in how dissapointed your family will be. At your age you probably have very few trips left. Summer jobs, etc. will be interfering.

 

[simba928]

Thank you all so much for your opinions! I would love to hear more if you would like to share.

The one thing that I probably should have mentioned in my OP is that my aunt is basically in charge of the trip. Everyone basically goes along with whatever she says and her idea of a vacation and my family's idea of a vacation are completely different. Her family are beach people. They would love to sit on a beach all day and do nothing. In fact, they have been to Disney World twice and they HATE it. They say that it is too hot and crowded and you pay so much money that you feel like you need to see and do as much as you can (that was their biggest mistake, not relaxing and going with the flow). My family is more active. Even when we go to Miami, we will sit by the pool for a while and in the evenings go do something. When its just my family, though, I can get up and go for a walk on the beach by myself or if we decide that we are bored, we can go do whatever. With the whole extended family, my aunt rules. I am supposed to stay with my cousin and do what she wants. For example, when we went on a cruise, we went to a midnight luau thing. The dance floor was crowded and it had been a long, hot day. I was beyond tired. I don't dance, not even when I go to dances with friends. But, because my cousin wanted to dance, I was supposed to go with her. And because I didn't, the rest of the trip was not the most fun I had ever had. My aunt was mad at me and told my cousin that if she wanted to do something, she should just do it and don't let me hold her back. Umm, I never said she couldn't dance. In fact, I told her several times to just go. Of course, to be fair, I do have to add that because my grandparents are getting older, we can't do a lot, but I think we can do a lot more than just sitting on the beach. It must be really boring for them as they can't get down onto the beach. They just sit on the boardwalk all day. I have been to Ocean City probably about 6 times and I don't know the city. To me, it is just a beach, boardwalk, and a few places to get popcorn. There has to be more than that. I just haven't seen it yet despite how many times I have been there. I honestly think I would do more and have a lot more fun in a day at Cedar Point than I would for the week in Ocean City.

 

[doxdogy]

Go to Cedar Point with your friends. As other posted stated your mom is laying a guilt trip on you. And as my daughter will tell you, I am the expert at guilt trips. She bought me a button once that said "My mother doesn't just enjoy guilt trips, she runs the travel agency."