The Family Vacation

You dream about the perfect vacation. You know the one from the brochure where everyone in the family is smiling and holding hands walking on the beach. I am glad those pictures exist because they get us to the vacation spot, but let's be real...your vacation will NOT look like the one in the picture. I think that is okay because there might be something more happening. There is struggle, and tears, and yelling at one another. And then there is happiness, there is growth, there is self-regulation that can immerse and bonding that happens is ways that don't happen at home.

The trick to having a "good" vacation is to set your expectations. When your expectations don't match what is actually happening, you become stressed. So if you are skiing, expect that someone is going to lose a mitten and then lose their minds because of it. When it happens you can chuckle to yourself and make a plan to solve the problem. You might even pack extra mittens ahead of time. If you are taking a sun-filled vacation, you know someone will refuse to put on sunblock. When it happens you can chuckle, but it might not even happen because you can front-load your expectations so your kids and makes their plans for success.

That's all for now.

Pease and light from the Parent & Child Wellness Center to you!