Okay, the last fear is legit. The others not so much.
When traveling, Crazy Dad has never worried about what his kids are worried about. Crazy Dad tends to worry about his worries - such as paying for the trip, getting the entire family there safely, having a great time while there.
But part of having a great time is anticipating what your kids will worry about.
TALK IT OUT
It doesn't hurt to talk to your kids about what they're worried about. Crazy Dad's son was worried about a trip to a foreign country, because no one in the family spoke the native language of that country. Apparently nothing short of learning Esperanto would have calmed the boy down. Of course, that wasn't what he was REALLY scared of. He wasn't sure what he was nervous about, so he latched onto the language thing.
Most of your kid's fears about traveling tend to be around two things-
"I'm going to be BORED."
Try to keep them excited about the trip. Tell them exciting things they might do. People or places they'll see. Everyone is scared of the unknown, and for your kids, the trip is a BIG unknown.
And of course-
"I don't want to eat weird food."
Try to remind them of foods that they like that they'll probably find on the trip. And if all fails, suggest or strongly imply that you'll give in and let them get Chicken McNuggets from McDonald's on the trip.
It's not a promise. So if you want to lie and not fulfill the McDonald's offer, that's your parental prerogative.
ACT IT OUT
With toddlers, there's always one thing that will scare them on trips.
Airport security. Look at it from a 2 year-old's perspective. Everyone is tired, they've rushed to the airport, they've had to drag bags on and off of buses and trains and cars. Now they're in a huge line where everyone is unhappy.
Now everyone is taking off their shoes!
Dad is taking off his belt!
Mom is being patted down for a secondary security inspection!
And now some strange man or woman behind the enormous beeping gate is pointing at you and telling you to walk forward!
Look at it from your 2 year-old's perspective. EVERYONE HAS GONE FLIPPING INSANE.
So if you have a small toddler, roleplay the airport security steps with them before the trip. Explain that they'll have to take off their shoes. Explain that they have to walk through a big gate. Explain that they might have to walk to a police officer standing on the other side.
If they roleplay it once through, it won't be an unknown when it happens for real. And they won't be scared.
BUT YOUR KID IS YOUR KID
This is the caveat that Crazy Dad always likes to remind every parent. Your kid is your kid - and all kids are different.
When Crazy Dad asked his oldest daughter if she'd ever been scared on their trips, she said no. She always assumed that her mom and dad had it under control. But just because SHE thinks that way doesn't mean that your child will think that way. Perhaps Crazy Dad's daughter is just extraordinarily calm... or extraordinarily ignorant to how out-of-control her father is.
So if your child is a nervous type, then be aware of that and take extra steps before the trip to allay their fears.
Recently, family friends of the Crazy Family prepared for a trip to Ukraine. Their daughter was worried that it was so far and might be too strange. Our daughter offered to talk to her and answered all her questions. Yes, Ukraine was fun. Yes, they had McDonald's. No, they didn't speak Ukrainian. No, it wasn't a problem.
Your kids will follow your lead. So don't panic. Don't worry.
And at some point, you really should do something about all those monsters in your kid's room. Crazy Dad is just sayin'...
0 comments:
Post a Comment