In most families there is a routine for daily life, which allows us to coordinate and organize to take the activities of all members in an orderly and functional way, from the basics such as the time to get up and eat, to the schedules of other activities away from home.
But when the holidays come everything changes, and this routine that had taken us in an organized way for a while, is interrupted. However, this is not necessarily bad and is even a good learning opportunity for the whole family. We tell you how to adapt on vacation with children, so that all family members enjoy.
Holidays, a break in routines
Most people, when we think of vacations, immediately imagine a moment of rest, free from work and worries. And is that the word "vacation", we usually relate it with pleasure and relaxation, because It is an ideal season to escape the routine and give us the opportunity to slow down our accelerated pace of life.
In Babies and more Vacations at home: nine ideas of activities for the whole familyAlthough of course, things are a little (or quite) different when we are already parents. Earlier I talked to you about what mothers want on vacation and I told you that I have noticed two main positions that those who already have children have about them: they love or hate them.
On the one hand, there are those who love them, because they see it as I said at the beginning: an ideal time to live the days without such haste. But on the other, there are those who hate them, since they are interrupted the routine that they had finally managed to establish inside the house and that makes them think that things can get a bit chaotic.
Although I personally belong to the first group because I love not having to be running in the morning while I prepare all my things and those of my daughter before leaving home to attend our respective activities, I understand that interrupting or leaving the routine that worked for us can be a bit disturbing.
Adapt to holidays with children
Actually, moving from routine to relaxation is easier than doing it in reverse, but just because we know what it can cost to establish routines inside the house, we can try to keep them when the whole family is on vacation.
By maintaining the routine, I mean the activities and methods of organization that are managed daily or weekly at home, such as children's sleeping schedules, eating times, if they have assigned days for organizing and cleaning at home, and so on.
But we must remember, that just as we return to work we adapt again when we come and go every day, adapting to vacations is also something we must do, not only because it is a change in the daily rhythm, but because vacations are something we should enjoy every time we can, especially when there are children at home, it is a great opportunity to spend family time.
The key to a happy holiday: be flexible
Holidays are one of the most anticipated times of the year for children and adults, and as I said at the beginning, it is a season in which we can say goodbye to the routine, start to relax a little and have more fun. This, of course, we will achieve by being flexible.
With "being flexible" I do not mean that we say yes to everything they ask us or that we completely forget about the routine and reign the disorder at home, but to have the ability to de-structure that rigidity with small things to take advantage of family time. An example of what I want to say is in the case that we have specific days assigned for the organization inside the house.
Let's say: Saturdays is the day we usually wash our clothes, but If one day our children want us to do another family activity, we can leave this task for later, without the pressure of needing particular clothes for school or work.
In Babies and more, seven tips for a happy holiday with childrenWhile everyone is on vacation, we have the opportunity to have flexibility in this aspect and do it another day of the week. We could even explain that we usually have an assigned day, but we can change it to another one in which they help us, and so take advantage of this season to begin to involve them and teach them to do some of those tasks at home If you still did not know how, something that has been proven has many benefits for its development.
Another example in which we can be flexible during vacations is small things, such as children's sleeping schedules. Nothing will happen for a day or two staying awake with us beyond your usual bedtime, or that they wake up until they decide, without alarms or hurries because there is no need to get up early.
Or maybe, if food is something we take care of every day, on vacation we can afford to eat something not very healthy or eat dessert before lunch. The idea is that we get out of the routine a bit, allowing to have these moments of fun and complicity in family on the pretext of vacations.
With small things like these, we will not only make the holidays a more fun experience for the whole family, but also we will learn to relax and teach children that in some situations it is possible and positive to be flexible, and that having this ability to do so will help us when we have to adapt in other situations so that things work better or we can enjoy more.
In Babies and more The lesson my daughter gave me this holiday: life is more enjoyable when you learn to let go and relaxOf course, we must explain to children that the reason we are being more flexible is because It is also good to be from time to time and the holidays give us that possibility to do it, explaining that once they are finished, we will have to resume the routine, which is also very positive for them and for the functioning of the whole family.
Having a good time with the family is the goal of the holidays, and relaxing with the schedules and being flexible, we can adapt so that we all enjoy this rest period and return to the routine more relaxed and happy.
Photos | iStock
