I look forward to visiting with my family at Christmas time all year long. But once it has come and gone, I always dread coming back home. We have to say good-bye to Grandma and Grandpa. We have to go back to our everyday responsibilities. And when we first step back into our house, it feels so cold and empty. In the course of being on vacation, we had gotten used to having a lot of activities going on and a lot relatives to hang out with. So every year I have to help my kids, and myself, ease back into real life. Here are a few tips.
- Schedule Some Playdates. Or if your kids are older, a sleepover. Getting back together with their friends right away will help to take the edge off of the loneliness they may feel after leaving relatives behind. And it also helps them reconnect with your community and the life you have back home.
- Have Dad Take A Few Extra Days Off. Spending your first few days back at home as a family can help your kids, and you, feel more at home. A few days to relax before jumping back into your routine can make it less jolting. I know that my kids have a hard time saying bye to Daddy if he heads off to work as soon as we get home from vacation. They just left our family members and now Daddy is leaving too.
- Talk About It. Explain to your children that your life is here in your town. And as much as you miss (your relatives’ names here), if we moved you would miss our neighbors, your friends, any relatives that you do have close, your teacher, etc… I like to emphasize that we will be seeing them again soon and we should do a bunch of fun stuff to tell them about between now and then.
