Devils On Vacation

Advice on How You Can Prevent Your Kids From Having Meltdowns While on Family Vacations.

By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

Q: Dear April Masini,

We have two very well-behaved children, but when we go on family vacations, it's like someone has flipped a switch and the kid's are out of control! This is suppose to be our time away, relaxing, but with the kids running around and throwing tantrums every time they don't get what they want, it's 10 times more stressful than when we're at home. It's also embarrassing! How can we calm our kids down and take a picture perfect family vacation?

Sincerely,

Angels at Home/Devils on Vacation

A:

Dear Angels at Home/Devils on Vacation,

Vacations are exciting for children -- and they can be stressful in good and bad ways. The result of all the excitement, stress and hoopla of vacations are meltdowns. It's normal for your children to be over-excited on vacation and to act differently than they do at home. However, there are things you can do to make your vacations much more enjoyable for the whole family!

Here are some reasons why kids have meltdowns while on vacation:

* When your child gets overly excited about a vacation, they're going to expend adrenaline, which will exhaust them a little later. 

* Sleep is often disrupted on vacation because kids are in new places, new beds, new sleeping arrangements, eating different foods, traveling on different schedules and absorbing a lot of new experiences. 

* Food on vacations is different and can create tummy aches.

All of this newness and difference can lead to meltdowns.

The best ways for parents to handle these meltdowns are:

* Remember that you, too, are absorbing new experiences on lack of sleep with unusual food and strange places, so you don't have your usual resources. Be kind to yourself. Nap when you can. Try to eat well. Be aware that you don't have your normal patience. 

* Expect your children to have meltdowns. If you expect them, you won't wince when they happen. Or at least not as much. 

* Remember that you're not the only parent with children who melt down. You don't have to be embarrassed if your child has a tantrum in public. 

* Take your child out of the environment where they're melting down. Sometimes just getting them into a different physical environment -- indoors or outdoors or out of a crowd, will help calm them down.  

* Feed your child -- and stay away from sugar and caffeine. Carry snacks in your purse so you're never without. Sometimes kids' blood sugar drops and they have a hunger meltdown without even realizing that they're hungry. 

* You don't have to do everything together. Sometimes it's more prudent to split up and have one parent take one child and another take the other child -- whether it's on two separate activities or one activity and one nap time. 

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.

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