Vacations

If you are fortunate enough to be able to afford to go on vacation once a year or more, I highly recommend ritualizing at least one of those vacations and making it a relaxed time for the entire family. Forego the theme park, the cultural destinations, and the sightseeing. Go tent camping or rent a small cabin in a national or state park. Go to a remote beach and spend the time out in the sun and surf. Go hiking. Come back to the cottage and take a nap. Cook meals together and eat as a family. Play cards and board games. Watch the same movies each year. In other words, take a timeout from your busy schedule and simply “be” for a week.

If you go to the same place each year, your children will look forward to their time there with great anticipation. If you go the same week each year, you may meet other families who come back at the same time as well, and your children may find lifelong friends. If you want, go with another family that has children about your children’s ages. Or invite extended family to go along and let cousins play together or grandparents spend time with your children.

Our family spent many wonderful years at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Some years we went with grandparents. Other years with family friends. The children (and the adults) looked forward to these vacations a great deal. I'm a beach person, and if you are, too, you can understand how kids can be entertained by little more than sand, pails and shovels, and surf for hours on end. I imagine that it is the same if you especially enjoy the mountains. Hiking, fishing, and doing the camping thing probably has the same effect on the family--stress reduction. No matter where you choose to unwind, you can do it together as a family, and it will bring you all closer together.