Planning Your Blended Family’s Spring Break Vacation
When the winter chill just won’t let up, planning your blended family’s spring break vacation is a great excuse to let your mind wander to warmer thoughts.
As exciting as a family vacation is, there are a few considerations to keep in mind when planning for a blended family. Striving to keep everyone happy, relaxed, and enjoying quality family bonding time together can seem, at times, like an unattainable dream. Here are ways to bring that dream within reach.
Be Realistic
If yours is a newly-blended family, you may be looking forward to your first opportunity to get everyone together for an extended time. Try starting small. A cross-country trek in a motor-home may be too close for too long a time period. Even a week in an RV or a travel trailer might be a stretch. Start small. A four-day long weekend, or even a day trip, may give you just enough time to test the waters and bring everyone closer together.
Understanding Expectations
As parents, you are probably already dealing with different parenting styles regarding expectations and discipline versus consequences in your daily lives. The same is true for vacation. Kids and adults alike may have different expectations about what constitutes a vacation. These issues should be worked out ahead of time and shared with the kids, so there are no surprises along the way.
Get Everyone Involved and Listen
When planning your destination, get the whole family involved in sharing what kind of adventure they look forward to on a family vacation. Find a way to include everyone’s idea of fun. Little ones may think they’re going to get left out of big-kid activities and older kids may think they’ll get bored if the trip is going to be focused on little-kid stuff. Give everyone ample time and opportunity to express their feelings, and listen.
Develop New Family Traditions
During family vacation time, when routines are changed, why not work in some new traditions specific to your blended family. This can be a time to institute rituals and practices your blended family can look forward to together.
Display Your Photos
Your phone will likely be filled with photos from your vacation, but don’t let them sit there. Print them. Let everyone chose their favorites to put in a book or hang on a wall as a visual reminder of the fun times you spent together on your family vacation—and to give you all something to look forward to again next year.
With a little extra forethought and communication, a spring break vacation can be a fun experience for everyone they will look forward to year after year. It can be a wonderful bonding experience.
If you have children and are considering or going through a divorce, contact us at Lake Harriet Law Office. We provide legal representation exclusively in the areas of Family Law and Divorce and are committed to working in the best interests of parents and children.