Can You Go To a Family Reunion and Leave Your Own Family at Home? in Feeling like Sybil

So this weekend is my family’s every 5 year family reunion.
In a different state.
400 miles away.

Only two of my children will be going with me.
The two that can’t help drive, of course.

One would think that traveling with teenagers would be so much easier than when they were little and all of three of them would be in the car with me for our trips together. I mean, we know how kids are on long car rides… they get cranky, they get hungry, they need to potty, they whine....

Not my kids. My kids were great travelers when they were little. Of course we invested in a tv/vcr that would plug into the cigarette lighter power supply (oops, showing my age there) and they would either watch movies or plug the Nintendo into it and play games for hours.
Easily pacified they were. I never even had to resort to the old “give them a dose of Tylenol” trick. #notthatIwouldhave #nonotme
We once took a 9 day road trip and pretty much had an awesome time together, stopping to see lots of things and visit family and friends along the way.

But those days are over. Now they are teens.
They take up more room in the car.
They are much more opinionated over every single thing we talk about.

where we will eat #notMcDonaldsagain
what music we listen to #yourmusicsucksmom
who sits where #Igetshotgun!
you have to go to the bathroom AGAIN? #stopdrinkingsomuchcoke
And did I mention they still can’t help me drive? If #1son were going at least I’d have some help in that area. But no… he’s staying home to work. #dangresponsiblekid

And it’s going to be a quick trip…two days of travel, two days of vacation… to see family we’ve mostly not seen since the last family reunion five years ago. So there will lots of catching up and “Oh how you’ve grown”s and “I haven’t seen you since you were thiiiiiiis big”s.

Luckily, my family is not one of those where everyone has to “one-up” each other. No one is in competition to be better or do better or look better than anyone else. We all keep in touch pretty much through Facebook, sharing pictures and daily living with each other, so that I don’t think there will be any big surprises. We’re just a bunch of regular folks who actually enjoy being around each other. With food. Lots of food. Lots of GOOD food. #mygrandmacancook

Keeping the teens entertained will be the biggest problem. There will be fun things for all the little kids to do. They are easily pacified.. pools, fishing, scooters, playing with each other. But the teens… the “Oh, I’m too cool to do that” or “I don’t want to mess up my hair” teens, they are a different story. This is when I’m thankful for technology. I’m hoping they will find a friend in another cousin and talk about how awful their lives are together, commiserate about why they even have to go to these things, and just basically not hang on me every minute because they are “bored and there’s nothing to do.” SURELY, they can find something to do for two days!

But I digress… and I’m stalling… cuz I haven’t even started packing yet. Which brings up a whole nother topic for discussion… but later. I hear the girlchild rising from her slumber which means little miss hormones will be wanting to “go do something soon” and “why aren’t you dressed yet, Mom? We can’t stay home all day! It’s booooring!”

So, what do y’all think… is it easier to travel with teens, or littles?