Traveling With Your Teen

Many people view spring break as a vacation for students and kids but a lot of families plan a trip for that week. Sheryl Bautch from Family Services joins us to talk about what parents can do to help make your vacation a pleasant one. Why can vacationing with a teen be so difficult? The teen years are the time we begin the process of separating from our family and identifying more with our peer group. For many teens, this means they would much rather stay home and hang out with their friends than go on vacation with the family. And they don`t hesitate to make their feelings known through their attitude and actions, whether it is complaining, bickering with siblings or simply giving everyone the "silent treatment." What are some suggestions for parents to help make a vacation with their teen a more pleasant experience for everyone? Taking a family vacation with your teen involve the teen in planning let the teen bring a friend allow the teen some independence. 1. Involve the teen in planning: involve your teen in planning the vacation. Consider their interests and suggestions when deciding on your vacation destination. Let them research possible vacation options on the Internet. Older teens can be involved in comparing the cost of various options and figuring out how to keep the trip within your budget. The more invested your teen is in planning the vacation, the more likely they will be to enjoy the trip. 2. Let the teen bring along a friend: if space and budget will allow, consider letting your teen bring a friend on vacation with you. While two teens might seem like twice the trouble, in fact they can entertain themselves. Your teen is much less likely to spend his or her time complaining about how bored they are with a friend to keep them company. 3. Allow the teen some independence. taking a family vacation doesn`t have to mean that you spend every minute together. Always keeping safety as your top concern, consider letting your teen do some activities on their own or simply "opt out" of certain planned activities with the family to stay behind to sleep, watch tv or hang out by the pool. sometimes on family trips a little bit of togetherness goes a long way! Questions? themorningshow@wcia.com