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Community Corner

Are We There Yet?

Tips for planning the perfect vacation with your family.

Is the family “vaca” an accident waiting to happen?

Hopefully, it isn’t!

Being prepared, although I am not a Girl Scout, is crucial for the success of a wonderful, memorable vacation.

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The planning:

What do you think would help make the perfect vacation for your family? 

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No sibling fighting, no arguing with your kids and no one gets hurt or ill.

Consider this:

  • Boredom
  • Power struggles
  • Change of weather
  • Rules
  • Money
  • Time to destination

The above list is some of the possibilities that preparation ahead of time can truly assist us in creating a great vacation.

Discussion: Parents should mutually agree what rules should be discussed before the trip. Then reiterate on the trip as well. This way the children, of all ages, will know what is expected of them.

After the horrific tragedy of the young boy from Brooklyn, it is clearly important to stress to our children the rules of safety. This applies to all ages!

Boredom: No guarantees but, be creative, be prepared. At restaurants, pen and paper is an automatic perfect on the road game.

Resolve: Conflicts certainly can pop up. How to resolve the conflict is a learning experience and the rules of the trip may need to be tweaked as you go to assist in this area.

Rainy days and ... Well, with the weather being so unpredictable, research the area where you are going so you will be prepared with indoor activities.

Remember the phrase you have heard over and over again?

“Little children, little problems, big children, big problems!” If you have big children the rules of the house or house rules apply!

Lastly, growing up with wonderful memories of vacations, I hope to create new memories with my family. Be prepared for the unexpected. Bring a camera/video to capture moments (even though you may get grief while asking the family to pose), discuss and keep an opened mind, and of course, patience is a virtue!

Time passes in a moment -- treasure them all. Enjoy.

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