Things that make me go "hmmm...."

I was thinking today about things we might do as a family this summer. One thing that we've enjoyed doing in the past is taking a few days off and driving to San Antonio or Austin and going to the attractions there - amusement parks, museums, natural caverns, movies, restaurants, etc. Nothing too exciting. We always stay in moderately priced hotels and we specifically look for hotels that offer free breakfast in the morning. A pool is nice too.

My kids love staying in a hotel. I mean, they love it. When I say to them, "Would you like to go spend a couple days in San Antonio?" the first thing they say is, "Can we stay in a hotel?" They love it, and I love it too because for some reason they don't argue and bicker, and the contention and sarcasm usually present in their conversations with one another is gone.

So as I was sitting here this morning I was trying to figure out what, exactly, it is about a hotel that they enjoy so much. Here's a list of things I could come up with:

• TV
• Sometimes our rooms have had a game system like Nintendo
• Free breakfast
• Pool
• Somebody else makes the bed
• Free shampoo and soap
• Clean towels and washcloths in the bathroom

You know what? They have all of this stuff at home. Except for the phone books in the bedside table, the credit card-style room key and all sleeping together in one room, a hotel is exactly like home for them. Admittedly when they are at home they do have to walk 1/2 a block down the street to the pool but it's not like they could ever dive off a balcony straight into a pool at the hotels.

It makes me go "hmmm...". Maybe I ought to try storing the phone books in their nightstands. Maybe they'd get along better this summer.