In honor of all the upcoming Thanksgiving travel, I offer a bit of my travel wisdom, earned the hard way. May your own road trip be less bumpy.
For every trip, focus on the first three days. They are generally filled with a bit more whining, neediness, grouchiness and lack of patience. The uncertainty of change does that to little people (and big people alike). The rhythm of their routine and the certainly of their little world make them feel safe and comfortable, resulting in a calm child who is able to listen and respond.
In your new local, set up a regular routine to mimic home. Find regular places for everyday routines to help anchor your small people. Put toothbrushes in a place kids can find, shoes and coats in a place they can reach and talk about the new locations so they can hear where everything goes. As my children have grown, we work together to find "the shoe home" in a hotel. Creating and honoring the order amidst the changes helps to calm the chaos. You are also helping to make them better travelers.
By being mindful of this need for extra time, you can stack your plans accordingly. Allow for a smidgen of extra cuddle time in your schedule and be prepared for a lots of deep breathes and redirection time. Knowing what is coming can help you brace yourself for a couple of bad days knowing the light is coming. I also find that day two can be worse than day one with day three being milder(read=nonlinear progression). This is assuming sleep is happening; extra sleep helps this flow. A sleep deficit can continue the whiney and unhappy behavior.
With this rule in mind on a short trip, I try to have shorter outings and expect some plans get scrapped due to irritable travelers. On a longer trip, I have a looser schedule for the first few days, knowing I can pack more into later days.
Don't forget this rule applies to returning to home and settling back into your regular rhythm.
"I'm guessing it's again my turn to win some or learn some" Jason Mraz, I'm yours
No comments:
Post a Comment