We just returned from a week-long vacation in Oaxaca (it was lovely!) Being away and experiencing new things, places, foods and people is exhilarating and relaxing for Alain and I, but I had not thought about how it could cause some anxiety for the boys.
I was discussing this with a friend yesterday and I understand the anxiety. After all, they don't really know why we are no longer sleeping in our own house and whether we are ever coming back. They may wonder why the food they like is not available and the shows they watch on TV are not on.
We had a wonderful time. Luca and Andre had fun, played, and enjoyed having mom and dad to themselves for a week. But I also saw their joy when we came back so the past couple of days we've been doing "their" things. Yesterday we went to Sea World and hung out with Elmo and Grover. We watched Alvin and the Chipmunks for the gazillionth time, and we ate pizza and waffles with peanut butter. They are settled in and content now, just in time for Luca's first day of school tomorrow.
How do you help your children cope with the changes that vacations bring along?
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I know what you mean. We went on a week-long vacation last year and my daughter kept asking if we could go to Chuck E Cheese and to visit Grandma's house. It was stressful and she didn't really know when we were going to come back (although we explained). This year, she is a little older and understands, but we helped our youngest child by talking about it before going on the trip and showing him on a globe how the plane was going to travel far away. I'm not sure if it was the prep work, but he was at ease with the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteOh, I love family vacations! I hope your son's first day of school went well :)
ReplyDeleteIt sure did. He was a little confused about why he was not in the same classroom and with the same teacher, but soon got used to the idea and is happy to go to school in the morning.
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