By Claralynn Schnell of ContemporaryVA
Vacation is something we long for, plan for and get crazy excited for! Then vacation comes and you have a blast and feel ready to go back to work. But then you have kids and go on vacation and realize that it will never be the same again! Parenting challenges are in everyday life, but take the routine, schedule, and normalcy of everyday life and add a vacation and parenting challenges triple!
So how do you avoid the pitfalls of this? Here is what I have learned to do.
- Do not create a must keep schedule. Setting a schedule of a million things to do, will only set you up for disappointment and failure. Basically, do not over schedule your vacation, you will have to learn to be a more “go-with the flow” vacationer!
- Find quiet activities for the afternoon when kids are at their worst. Naps are great, but don’t typically happen, so a quiet movie, a book or just “down time” can alleviate the added pressure of taking kids somewhere that they are going to act out.
- Be consistent. Discipline during vacation doesn’t sound like a fun idea, but it will help to keep you sane and the kids from having such a hard time adjusting.
As my kids get older, I am sure that vacation will increase in the fun factor. For now, it is super low key, and very little expectations but fun and NO WORK! I try not to set myself up for some unrealistic dreams and enjoy the time that I have with my little ones now. Life at home changes on a daily basis and that is no different on vacation. If you are someone who is stressed easily, a vacation with young kids, may add to this stress level. If this is you, if you are facing parenting challenges and want help or a way to handle the stress, contact Paul.