Families Are Inspired in the National Parks

Given your limited budget this year, have you made any plans for summer vacation? For some Sandwiched Boomers, squeezed between caring for growing children and aging parents, the choices may be limited.

According to a recent poll, close to 80% of adults believe that family and friends are more important than possessions - in other words, relationships trump 'bling' in creating happiness, satisfaction and fulfillment of the American dream. So, in these tough financial times, families are still taking vacations together yet are managing to cut back on their spending. Many are accomplishing this feat by visiting the National Parks - figures show that attendance has been unusually high.

Whether or not you choose to visit the Parks, this week we'll focus on some ideas about what goals you can achieve by vacationing together. Your kids will grow from the experience and you'll all have fun together.

Engage in the world around you. Join with other families exploring the country or start by becoming more involved in your own community. What are your family's interests and passions? Hiking, history, nature, adventure, native plants and animals? You can learn more about them together and expand your universe at the same time.

Find role models to inspire you.. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum dreamed about creating a memorial to American heroes that would last through the ages. Beginning in 1927 he worked in the mountains of South Dakota, drilling and chiseling until by 1941 he had sculpted Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt on Mount Rushmore, looking out onto the Black Hills and Badlands. These men reflect goals to strive for - courage, freedom, compassion and conservation, among others. And the nearby sculpture-in-progress, commemorating the Lakota leader, Crazy Horse, honors the richness of the Native American culture and the dignity of the tribal people.

If you are looking for more tips highlighting innovative ways to deal with the realities of the current economic situation, visit our website Her Mentor Center for information about our recent ebook, Taking Control of Stress in a Financial Storm: Practical Strategies and Resources for Success, available to download in PDF format. And tune in again later this week for more suggestions for making the most of your family vacations.

On February 18 this year, Americans will celebrate President's Day - another watered-down Monday, long-weekend-holiday filled with retail sales and little mention of the meaning of the day. We Baby Boomers remember when, instead, we honored Abraham Lincoln's birthday on February 12 and George Washington's on February 22. It seemed easier then to teach children the values of the founding fathers and honorable Presidents. Who could forget the story of George Washington admitting that he chopped down the cherry tree, saying "I cannot tell a lie," or the myriad tales about "honest Abe." These were our role models then, not the squabbling candidates with sound bites and spin that dominate our airways now.

How do we find role models for our children and grandchildren today when they see sports heros taking steroids, award-winning rock stars zoned-out on drugs, glamorous starlets pictured in drunken stupor, religious leaders and teachers molesting children? Perhaps we need look no farther than to our own parents. Many of their generation, "the greatest," lived through the depression, the Second World War and the Cold War. They were tempered by the hard realities of life and their values were shaped by the need to retain their ideals nevertheless. Who better to pass on the importance of internal strength, decency, honesty, hard work, fair play to our children?

As a Sandwiched Boomer, often exhausted by the day-to-day needs of caring for your aging parents and growing children, you may not have thought about how your parents can help you form the values of your children. Encourage them to spend time with your family, telling stories about their lives and how they dealt with the ups and downs they faced. Let your children learn from them how to live a life worthy of their legacy. You will all gain from the experiences. Use this President's Day to inaugurate your own message for change!