Today's Article

Planning a family vacation poses some
interesting challenges. Your 4-year-old might be delighted to spend three days
exploring the wonders of a tacky Santa's Village, whereas you develop a
migraine after a couple of hours. You may relish the thought of spending a day
at an art museum; your child would last an hour before collapsing in a puddle
of boredom.

Here are some
family vacation suggestions that can make the trip more enjoyable for both
generations:

• Break up
  the day. Remember
  that children are often most excited by simple and familiar pleasures.
  Spend two hours playing miniature golf if that's something your child
  likes, even if there's a similar course close to your home. Build a small
  sand castle with a plastic bucket and shovel. Don't focus on elaborate
  adventures.


• Keep
  sightseeing trips short. A two-hour cruise on a harbor will be far more
  interesting to a young child than an all-day bus tour.


• Budget for
  time apart. Have your hotel arrange for a babysitter for an evening
  or two so that you can get some adults-only time. Don't feel that you have
  to do something exotic or dramatic; sometimes what you really need is a
  few quiet hours.


• Keep your
  schedule loose. Young children
  operate on their own time schedules. If your child's cranky in the
  afternoon, be willing to scrap your prearranged plans so that he (and
  perhaps you) can take a nap.


• Travel
  when the kids are tired. This varies from child to child. Some young children can
  be plopped down in a car or an airplane at 6 am and stay asleep for hours.
  Others wake up instantly. You may find that the best time for driving is
  during an afternoon nap — your child’s, not yours!


• Try
  staying in one location for
  the whole vacation. This reduces the number of new things your child has
  to adapt to, which lowers your stress level as well.


• Allow lots
  of extra time at airports. These days, traveling by air can make a family vacation
  very stressful, especially for young children. The frustration of a missed
  connection increases exponentially with every child who's with you.


• Monitor
  your own emotions and
  attitude. Our children reflect our feelings in their own emotions. If we
  become upset, they'll become upset. If we're laid back in the face of a
  problem, they're more likely to handle things the same way.

Try to follow
these tips without stressing too much on creating a perfect experience for all.
Some days will be better for you and others better for your child. That’s just
the way things work on a family vacation.