Triggered by travel

[Justme729]

When I was a kid my mother would make us take Dramamine because she wanted us to sleep so we wouldn't bother her. I refused. I would get "spanked" (which we all knew wasn't just a simple swat) and degraded.  She would actually medicate herself to pass out the whole trip.

Now, I'm a parent of three kids. They bicker just like me and my siblings did as kids.  We had a nightmare drive at thanksgiving time.  The two youngest just kept poking each other the whole trip and pissing the other one off.  The oldest herself choose to take Dramamine. 

I cringe at the oldest wanting Dramamine.  But she's old enough to make her own choices.  My younger two still bicker endlessly.  We flew a red eye home after Christmas holiday.  We gave all three kids Dramamine and melatonin.  It was the most blissful, easy travel experience. I feel incredibly guilty. The kids wanted to sleep. They were happy for the medicine.  Being on a plane was making them nervous to sleep. I feel like her.  I know it's not true, but the guilt is real. 

[sunshine702]

Don't beat yourself up.  There is A LOT MORE choice and Agency with your kids than you were given even if it is the same medicine.  It doesn't sound like there will be punishment if they don't take it no matter the outcome.  You are a good mom!

[Liketheducks]

That your children are making a conscious decision to give themselves the grace of sleep during travel = you're a great mom.   That it concerns you and that you're asking the question = you're a great mom.   That your kids have the freedom to bicker and fight, like normal kiddos while enduring travel stress = you're a great mom. 

Triggers stink, but you're doing a great job!

[Cat of the Canals]

I barfed on a plane *one time* when I was a teen, and I'm still not sure how I got over the embarrassment. I haven't flown without taking Dramamine since. And I'm an anxious flyer on top of my tendency toward motion sickness, so being able to knock myself out for a few hours is a bonus, let me tell you.

Echoing the above, if one of your kids had said, "No, I don't want to take that," would you have punished them with shame and violence? If the answer is no, then you're clearly nothing like your mother.