You are on vacation with your family in Mazatlan. You’ve been having a great time. But today came the obligatory vacation conversation.
You’ve been together for about 3 days – you and your husband have been doing back flips to keep everyone happy: all the burgers your 16 year old son can eat, plenty of pool time for your 7 year old (that’s dawn to dusk,) and enough Limonata to sink the tip of Baja thanks to the swim up bar. You’ve been having a great time too with the in-room Jacuzzi and on-site spa!
And it seems that at some point in every vacation – probably as you and your husband are cleaning up after a meal and making arrangements for the next fun activity, you notice that the children are either fighting or not helping OR complaining. Complaining!
The solution to keeping the family vacation complaining to a quick stopover instead of an overnight stay is to have a conversation.
Coach Me Quick Tips for Starting the Conversation and Ending the Complaining:
1. When complaining reaches a crescendo, call a family meeting and explain what isn’t working (complaining,) what you are doing (everything,) and what needs to change (the children need to pick up some of the slack.)
2. Give the kids about 30 minutes to “think” about how they would like the rest of the vacation to be and come up with solutions so that you can all continue your wonderful time together.
3. Be sure to also give them a chance to let you know what isn’t working for them and what they would like to have happen during the rest of your time together. They might have some creative solutions to offer!
I wish that we didn’t have to deal with issues on vacation – but that would be hoping we are not human. Human beings who spend significant time together will argue, complain and be emotional. The opportunity here is to let our kids know that it’s o.k. and that it’s possible to have a conversation, learn a few things and move on.
You can make your vacation the trip of a lifetime, by keeping the complaining stopovers to a minimum.
Happy Travels!
Jamee
Look great on vacation without over-packing, thanks to these wonderful tips by the DivaStyle Coach, Dianne Daniels. Take a Stylish Vacation: Use Capsule Wardrobing to Avoid Overpacking.
And once you know what you are packing, check out this article on Packing to Minimize Wrinkles in Clothes, from Ingenious Travels Maria Stepfanopoulos!
And if you are pregnant and looking for ways to make your vacation safe, relaxing and fun – check out this article from Dr. Linda Burke-Galloway on 10 Travel Tips Every Pregnant Woman Should Know Before Planning a Vacation!
Photo credit: Danny Baza Blas via Compfight