Vacation Routine: The Present that Retains on Giving
Have you ever played Jenga? You build a tower from wooden blocks, then the players take turns taking a block from the middle and placing it on it. At some point someone removes the one who lets everything fall over. In short, that’s ADHD kids and school holidays! You want to play – and win ?!
Prevent your structure from collapsing
Since the start of school, you have probably worked hard to implement a structure so that your kids can get off their pillows and onto the bus on time. They make sure they have a system to do their homework – and remember to return it to school, for example. These routines create stability and predictability, and help them manage their impulsiveness and emotions in an otherwise hectic world. Think of routine and structure as the infrastructure that holds all of your Jenga blocks together.
When the holidays come, the missing school removes a blockage. Stress from various social activities removes a blockage. Hyper-focus on a specific gift, worrying about not receiving that gift, too much unstructured time, and perhaps stressed parents remove all the blocks until you are left with a rickety tower full of holes. And shortly after you have finally (more or less!) Managed to integrate them into everyday life during the school season!
To prevent your child from upset emotionally, making bad decisions, and dragging you down with them, you can build structure into the “holes” that appear during the vacation by creating a vacation routine.
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How do you build a structure?
A big problem is making sure your child wakes up at a constant time. It doesn’t have to be the same time they get up for school. For example, if they usually wake up at 6:30 a.m., they might sleep off until 9:00 a.m. But let them set an alarm clock or be the alarm clock for them to get them up and moving on a schedule.
This is vital for children taking medication, as they usually need their medication at the same time each day (for physiological effects and also to help strengthen the habit). If they sleep late, they may be late taking the medication, making digestion difficult. This can affect their appetite or keep them awake later at night. As a result, they fall asleep later the next morning and the cycle starts all over again.
Traditions: Vacation routines can – and should – be fun!
For many of us, the holidays are a tradition. We serve the same special foods and put up decorations that have been passed down from generation to generation, along with ornaments that our children have made themselves. They are important to everyone, but since our children are much better off when life is more predictable, traditions can be an especially great way to structure the vacation.
Growing up we had a tradition (aka a rule!) That we had to stay upstairs and wait for an adult to go downstairs to see if Santa Claus had come. If we got the all-clear, we fell down. I continued this tradition with my own children.
My father started doing this because … well, I could say it was because he had an understanding of structures and systems that was ahead of his time. But no – it was because he needed a morning coffee! He had to go downstairs and have a cup before dealing with the mess of children, torn wrapping paper and the squeaking.
I can thank Caffeine for this great tradition! To this day my children – who are teenagers – are sitting at the top of the stairs waiting for an adult to see if Santa Claus is coming. Now they know that happy old St. Nick may have been replaced by a tired mother in pajamas, but it’s fun! They are excited while having a vacation routine that helps them manage their impulses.
Even if children may not admit it, they need the structure that school offers. When they’re on vacation, keep them from falling over by implementing systems that will help you keep a consistent schedule. (And save space for fun and togetherness!)
