You know what stresses me out? Traveling with my kids.

You know what I do a lot of? Traveling with my kids.

There’s always tears, frustration, irritation, anger, and misery. Everyone’s tired and hungry most of the time. There’s a lot of chicken nuggets, “MOM I WANT A SNACK”s, Sesame Street episodes, and “no we’re not there yet”s.

I’ve slept with a baby on my chest on an airport floor during a catastrophically long layover. I’ve driven 11 hours by myself with a baby that cried most of the way. We’ve left at 2am, 7pm, 10am, and almost everywhere in between. I can pass out snacks and get a baby to sleep in a car seat like it’s my job. (And I guess it kind of is since my husband has deemed himself “THE driver”.) The chaos is undeniable and I’ll be honest, I’m usually the grumpiest one as we head out the door to embark on whatever adventure awaits because I know what’s coming my way.

But, even with all the bad, there’s also a lot of laughter. There’s picking out fun snacks at gas stations, singing songs in the car, and excitement. There’s joy in watching your child light up with pure adrenaline at an airport. There’s magic as they see big city lights out of a window in the wee hours of the night.

As much as I do not enjoy traveling with my kids as we start our trip, I’m always so incredibly glad we did it by the time we get back home.

So, here’s to the trips filled with too much screen time, sugary snacks, and nursery rhymes. We may not enjoy it in the moment, but I know without a doubt that 20 years down the road these will be some of my favorite memories.

Make sure you take the trip.

This originally appeared on the author's Facebook.