cONNEcT
INTERVIEW BY
SANDRA
SHRADER
FAmILy
bALANCE
HAVE KIDS,
WILL
TRAVEL
north County family counselor Denise
ross offers some tips for turning your
family vacation into a fun zone for tots,
‘tweens and teens.
S
ummer vacation time has finally arrived! You’ve decided
SEPARATE
on a destination, made your reservations and your family’s
ROOmS, PLEASE
suitcases are all packed. But for those of you wondering
If you’re staying at a hotel, try to reserve one room for parents
how to stay sane and keep the kids happy along the way, Encinitas
and another room for the kids. Having adjoining rooms for
Marriage & Family Therapist Denise Ross offers some simple
teens, shared with another sibling, gives them—and you—a nice
suggestions to prevent your dream trip from turning into a break from each other.
WITh anIMaL frIEnDs
nightmare vacation. of ThE vaLLEys
gO WITH THE FLOW
TRIP TEASERS
Parents put too much stress on themselves trying to maintain
Get your kids excited about going on a family vacation by using pre-
their usual schedules for meals, bedtime, etc. while on vacation.
trip teasers like a “vacation board.” Ask them to decorate the board
The key is to be as flexible as you can and know there will be
with pictures and interesting facts cut out from brochures or website
some changes in your routine that simple can’t be avoided.
print-outs about the places they will be visiting.
yOU WANT TO gO WHERE?
PLANE SENSE
The pressure of meeting everyone in the family’s expectations—
If your trip involves flying and you have younger children that have
your six-year-old wants to see the world’s biggest ball of string,
never been on plane before, check out your local library for books
but your teenager just wants to lounge by the hotel pool—should
about plane travel. There are a lot of great books for kids that explain
be explained before you even pack your bags. Talk with your
in detail exactly what to expect, offer useful pre-trip tips to parents
kids a few times beforehand, and in detail, about what they each
and help prepare little ones for the big event.
might want to see and do during the vacation. Discussing the
importance of compromise and keeping a good attitude will
TECH bREAK
ensure you get the most out of your time together.
While it can be comforting for teens to listen to their iPod while on
vacation with the family, parents might consider limiting their time
on the phone/text/computer. Giving teens a structured break is
Denise L. ross, M.a., MfT, is a marriage
actually healthy for their nervous systems. (They have no idea how & family therapist with twenty years
much technology can be a pull on their energy in their daily lives.) of counseling experience. her firm
Still, expecting older kids to get excited about seeing ‘yet another
Coast Therapy services is located in
mountain’ out the car window might be unrealistic. So something like
Encinitas. for more information, visit
an iPod might help to pass the time on an especially long road trip.
coasttherapyservices.com/contact.htm.
MYunDERTHESun.COM l junE 45
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