Holiday with teenagers. Is that an oxymoron? Not if you have the right approach. Teenagers can be a little moody sometimes, but with these top tips you can take your family holiday from ‘aaagghh!’ to ‘aahhh’.
1. Treat them like adults
Try to give them space to make decisions for the family. Go with their suggestions – who knows, you might enjoy tree-top ziplining! If it is safe enough, they could go exploring by themselves. Teenagers, like adults, need space for themselves. Give it to them.
2. Treat them like teenagers
On the other hand, don’t expect them to behave like adults. Don’t expect them to enjoy museums and archaeological sites. Don’t expect them to help you around the house. Their teenage years are heart-breakingly difficult enough, so let them sleep in a little every once in a while. Drag them out at dawn and you’ll incite rebellion. But, let them snooze at will and you’ll lose half the holiday. A little bit of each will satisfy both their teenaged sleep patterns and your urge to get up and go.
3. Plug in
You’d be amazed what you can learn about a teen from a playlist. Mass music consumption means nobody’s zoning out with ear buds and that means conversation. Try to keep an open mind and get into the groove.
4. Get unplugged.
Yes, they’ll complain when you proclaim the hours of lunch to dinner as no-texting zones. But once disconnected and fully invested in the adventure, they’ll be having too much fun to remember they’re incommunicado. True idealists might try to ban the gadgets for the duration of the trip. The rest of us will have more luck allowing a daily dose of techno time after dinner.
5. You can’t buy happiness
Despite all your efforts to buy them happiness with dream holidays in the sun, it won’t work. Telling them that you’ve worked hard all year to pay for this holiday just to put a smile on their face won’t make them appreciate your efforts. Family holiday fun? They’d prefer it if you left them alone in their hotel room to watch their favourite TV series. It is what it is – know that going in.
6. You can get their buy in
If there’s a particular location that interests your teen, give him the task of planning your time there. How about one day that is completely his to plan, from activities to food? He’ll have ownership of the adventure, and probably be more agreeable to the plans you’ve made as well.
7. Chill
Create a no-nag zone. Do yourself a favour and close their doors. Try not to nag about the mess and remain blissfully ignorant of the carnage, thereby removing one element of conflict for at least a week. House rules apply again when you return home.
8. Preserve the past
Don’t forget to get pictures with your teen. It’s easy to forget while you’re sightseeing. You return home to find hundreds of shots of the sights, pictures of your teen, maybe a few of yourself. But make sure you find other friendly tourists and get some photos of both of you in all the important spots. It may feel awkward to ask a stranger, but you’ll be glad you did. Those pictures together, taken at such memorable times, are priceless.
9. Look to the future
Console yourself that soon you’ll be able to go on holiday without them. The empty nester’s grief is short-lived: you’ll get over it. Think of the money you’ll save by going outside the school holidays. Read those smug articles that say ‘Tuscany is at its peaceful best in September’.
10. Have a good time
Consider the possibility that you might actually have a good time on holiday. Free from the pressures of their peers, it’s possible that your dear teens will actually resemble human beings. You could bond over a whitewater rafting experience, and earn their respect on the dancefloor. They’ll thank you for it one day, when they understand what it means to be a parent. Until then, happy holidays!
Before you leave home with your teens, make sure that you are covered. Speak to your Indwe broker today visit www.indwerisk.co.za or call 0860 13 13 14.