Due to a combination of health and financial issues, we had to change our vacation plans this year. Instead of travelling, we’re going to stay in Central Florida and dedicate a week to finding fun.

After my wife and I made the decision, we pitched it to the kids, explaining that it’s a “staycation,” and that there is tons of stuff for us to do right here in Central Florida. They took it well. Better than well, in fact. They loved the idea.

The next morning, my oldest son approached me as I was cooking breakfast.

“Dad,” he said very seriously, “we need to have a family meeting.”

I put down the spatula. “Really?”

We don’t have family meetings. Well, we do, but we call them things like “breakfast” and “dinner.”

“Yes,” he said. “It’s really important. We need a family meeting. Tonight would be good. Can we do it tonight?”

“Sure,” I said. “How about at dinner?”

“Okay.”

At dinner, I asked him what the family meeting was about.

“Well,” he said, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket. “We have to plan the homecation.”

He leaned over the paper and tapped his pencil on the table. “What are we going to do first?”

Now that’s the kind of family meeting I can embrace.