TIPS AND TRICKS

Want Road Trip Success? Do Some ‘Training Missions’ Beforehand. 
“I learned this the hard way, as we were forced to take our first 3 hour plus trip with our kids — two and four — before we’d really taken a trip longer than 45 minutes,” Charles, a 41 year father from North Carolina told us. The experience was a nightmare. Multiple meltdowns and some very grumpy parents. Before their next trip, Charles took a more practical approach and really plotted things out with ‘training missions.’ “We took gradually longer drives on the weekend. We learned what games and podcasts held their attention for a while. We learned, importantly, how long they can entertain themselves — our younger one is much better at that than our older one. And we thought through what snacks they like.” It worked, and longer car rides were far less stressful.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Always Explain Your “No’s”
This is good to remember in general. But when one parent is a clear favorite, a common issue that arises is that the non-favorite parent doesn’t explain their reasons for saying “no” to kids. Whenever you can, try to explain the thought behind your answers to your children in a calm tone and simple, clear language. This makes you less of a dictator and lets kids better understand your reasoning, helping to lower any confusion in the process.