How to Avoid Bad Vacations With Your Teenager
When your kids were younger, family vacations were a time of excitement for all. Now that your kids are teenagers, they might be a little less excited about the idea of spending a week or two with their parents. Your vacation doesn't have to turn into a week-long shouting match between you and your teen, though. Give your teenager more responsibility before and during the trip to avoid unpleasantness and confrontations.
Instructions
Hold a family gathering before you start planning for the vacation. Ask your teenager where he would like to go on the trip and what activities he would like to participate in during vacation. Discuss the pros and cons of going to one place instead of another. Your teenager might want to go to France, for example, but doing so may be beyond your family's budget. Come to a decision about the destination as a family. Compromise about activities when on vacation. You can't expect your teenager to accompany you to museum after museum without a bit of grumbling, especially if you don't let him try the activities that appeal to him. Agree that your teen can participate in several activities he picks throughout the week, such as zip lining, visiting an amusement park or taking a tour on horseback or by bicycle. If your teenager really doesn't want to visit a bird sanctuary or art museum, don't force him. Give your teenager some privacy and quiet time during the trip. If it's in your budget, let him have his own room at the hotel or vacation rental. Set aside a few hours each day so that each member in the family can have free time, during which they can do whatever they want, whether it's sitting in the hotel watching television, lying on the beach or visiting a tourist attraction. Invite your teenager's best friend to join you on the trip. Having a friend around can make your teen happier about a family vacation. You might also feel more comfortable letting your teenager go off on his own if you know that he has a buddy with him. Make a plan for using gadgets. You don't want your teenager to be completely immersed in his smartphone all week, but you also don't want him to feel cut off from his friends or the world. You can agree to use your phones to take pictures when out exploring, and reserve sending text messages or updating social media for the end of the day, when you're all back in the hotel or rental. Set a budget for spending on the trip before you leave. Give your teenager a set amount of cash to spend, or let him use his own money to buy snacks and souvenirs on the vacation. While it might seem safer to give him a credit card, there's the risk that he'll overspend and you'll have an unhappy surprise when you get the bill.
