Well, I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful end of summer! I had meant to post an entry while away but between the late morning starts, activities to prepare for, & general chaos, the days just flew by. We joined friends at their farm in Hood River, OR along with an ebb & flow of numerous other families.
Now 12 adults & 13 kids makes for crazy amounts of fun, but this type of stimulation can also drive my kids to go into a tail spin. When we go on extended holidays with groups we take extra measures to provide the girls with some Crazy Town coping skills. Here's the 3 ways we try to help them stay civil:
1. Provide a place to call their own. This may be a bedroom, or if the house is crowded we choose to stay in our tent. Whatever the space looks like we make sure it's off limits to others.
2. It's okay to take some quiet time. If they are feeling tired or grumpy we encourage them to say "I'm going to have a quiet time". Then they can retreat to their tent/room to read/play & get themselves together. This time does not include others & not a time to sneak 1 favorite friend away from the group. It's a solo act.
3. If you don't like the game, don't play it. When a large group of kids are all playing a game we encourage the girls to find a way participate (which is usually not a problem), but if the game is stressing them out they can quietly take a breather. This is not to be a way to manipulate the game in their favor. Just away to exit the game gracefully.
What did you do for Labor Day weekend? Anything super fun? Do you have ways to help your kids manage chaotic situations while on holiday?
School starts tomorrow! I'm SAVED!
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