If you flew to the resort, don't let your kids drive you crazy
Going on vacation always seems to be a crap shoot. I never know which kid will be taking a vacation with us. I don't mean I bring random children on family trips with my husband and me, I mean my kids sometimes have personality changes which could rival Sybil)at times. Usually they are a delight to travel with, but sometimes it's not really a change in personality as much as a change in development which will drive me to the brink of insanity. Here is a quick list of common age related issues you might encounter while on vacation and some tips to handle them.
Babies: Babies can either sleep through a time change or cry through it. Keep in mind as you travel, that your baby may need a day or so to adjust to the new longitude and latitudes of your vacation spot. Thankfully there are ways to occupy yourself while you wait: Plantars Punch, Internet Hotspots, swimming and lounging poolside to name some.
Toddlers: I remember once requesting a restaurant reservation and asking to be seated in the “Toddlers Who Throw Food And The People Who Love Them” section. It's mortifying when it happens, but take comfort knowing everyone around you was once a child too. If the throwing is out of hand, you can always ask for a “to go” option and then you grab the kid, the food and go.
Tweens: Are obsessed with being “bored.” Or, more specifically, wanting their parents to guarantee they won't be. We know a dad who uses the response, “If you are bored, you are boring.” Meaning, don't decide something is boring without at least trying to be interested. The result of your own interest, may be the cure for your own boredom.
Teens: Won't need transportation, but still will request you do your best to be invisible whenever around them. God forbid you might embarrass them with your “dorky” bathing suit, your “ridiculous” curfew or your unending need to speak, nay breathe, in their presence. Got a rude teen with a big mouth? Try reflecting teen tirades before you add your own response, “Did I hear you right? Did you just tell me I “totally suck”? Yes, I heard. Don't agree. “ Then go back to reading your book. If I'm going to “suck” as a parent, I'm going to “suck” on my own terms, not their's!
Adults: Damn right adult children need to be included on this list because you may see things and hear things you KNOW you didn't teach them to say or do. Unless someone is asking, “Can you please control that 38 year old man sitting next to you?” Don't worry about it. You've done your part to parent your adult child during their youth, you can only be held accountable for only so long. You reared em to be responsible for themselves, so let em.
Now you've got your very own portable GPS (Guide to Preserving Sanity) for travelling with your offspring, and we've even programmed it for you.
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