Is it just us or do all couples have a holiday argument? I ask this because I am just back from a two week jollie avec famille dans la Riviera.
It usually happens on around day 3 but this year the argument came about day 5, which is a bit late for us.
Basically, as you and husband are not used to being around each other 24/7, you end up rubbing each other up the wrong way. And not in a teenage sexual experimentation kind of way. (If only!)
You've gone through the traumas of packing, bundling kids in car, the airport and flight or, in our case, a pretty tiresome 12 hour car journey. You really need to shout at someone and off load a bit of tension. But you are on holiday and you are trying really hard to be, well,...nice! Projecting an image of the perfect family.
By day five I had read two chick lit books. Which had pumped my brain with visions of perfect men, romance and love.
Here we were walking around in ill fitting swimwear with too much body hair on display, barely grunting at each other on a night due to exhaustion from dealing with over tired, over heated and over hungry children.
There's me secretly longing for my husband to be a leading man from one of my trashy novels who would make me go weak at the knees. Damn those chick lit books. They always make me feel like I've picked the wrong fella for 24 hours after I have read the last page.
Our holiday row began with an accusation that I was allowing the children too many treats, and then it moved on to his work, money stress, me getting a job, him being moody to perhaps we were not suited after all, should we be heading for the divorce courts? We bicker like Peter and Katie. We'll end up hating each other, and perhaps we would be happier going it alone? It moved on to him promising to not be moody, try harder, love me more, me promising to be kinder, to understand his work pressures, saying he's not so bad after all and actually telling him he's a top daddy.
So, an hour of tears, shouting and getting the last 6 months of everything that had bugged us out in the open. There was a huge sense of relief. Let the holiday commence!
For the second week, we were like honeymooners and all was right in the world. Birds were cheeping around us and hearts were flying in the air above us.
The holiday is now over, and I'm sure this feeling will probably last ooh...as long as the tan...?
