Awkward Family Photos - Mike Bender [7]
Not everybody was thrilled with their position in the family.
Aspiring “crazy cat ladies.”
We may be a lot closer than we think …
Looks like Miss Muffet has been feeling a little left out lately.
Some families decide to forgo the traditional dog or cat and adopt a more unconventional animal companion. That doesn’t mean they love their not-so-cuddly creatures any less.
t starts with the best of intentions. Mom and Dad, feeling that the family needs to spend more time together, decide that we should take a vacation.
Reluctantly, we load up the family wagon and depart for our destination. As our parents break into song, asking us to join in for a group sing-along, we are faced with the harsh realization that this vacation is going to be far, far worse than we feared. When we arrive at the hotel, all we want to do is hang out by the pool, but instead we have to follow Dad, who is covered in too much suntan lotion (even though it’s cloudy) and repeatedly gets lost as he tries to keep up with his strict itinerary of landmarks we couldn’t care less about. All of which is documented in staged photo ops, where we’re told to look like we’re having the time of our lives—not an easy task when you’re standing in front of the National Archives. And as the vacation continues and we fight with our siblings for the bed near the window, eat at restaurants where the waiters are dressed like pirates, and witness Mom and Dad getting a little too tipsy, the only thing that gets us through the experience is knowing that if we can survive the next few days, we’ll be back in the sanctuary of our own home, where we can get some much-needed rest and relaxation from our vacation.
It’s the quality family time they’ve waited for all year.
Not everyone can handle the awesome power of Stonehenge.
This resourceful dad wasn’t going to let a little rain spoil the vacation.
Theme parks look like they are the ultimate vacation destinations. With rides for all ages, mountains of sugary sweets, and spectacular shows, these magical kingdoms are so magical, they will take a happy family and have them cursing each other in less than an hour. Guaranteed.
Dad wore a bathing suit that would complement the color of his tan.
This young man decided the teacup ride was more his speed.
Tessa picked the wrong day to wear green.
Sometimes the background is enough.
Nothing says “tropical paradise” like returning home with a souvenir photo of you and your family being swarmed by wild parrots.
Even the railing felt this one was uncomfortable.
My youngest daughter doesn’t fare so well with long airplane rides. One year, we traveled to Paris on Christmas Day, and visited the Eiffel Tower. Once we got down, between the cold and the fact that we’d just gotten off of the plane, my daughter had to vomit. My older daughter thought it was funny, so she decided to take the picture while her sister was getting sick. And my husband and I just decided, oh well, we might as well smile!
The Burns Family
Glen Head, New York
This picture is from a family trip to Disney World in 1985, right before my parents divorced. Everyone had issues at the time. I (the oldest on the left) was back for the summer after my first year at college and was resenting my temporary loss of newfound freedom (note the finger). Mom had been away “studying French” in the South of France with youngest son Ryan (far right). That left Dad alone with middle son Rob (second from left), who had the misfortune of being in high school during the peak of the New Wave fad. This trip to Disney World was an effort to have a “normal family vacation.”
After we flew across the country and felt jet-lagged, Dad tried to take a family picture. After several failed attempts, he screamed, “Can’t I get one picture, just one, without everyone screwing around?!”
Anonymous
The car originally belonged to my grandmother and she passed it down to my father. Shortly after, my dad had a wreck, but being the frugal man he is, he