It’s been an interesting weekend for me. My 3 year old son has gone on his first trip without me. 500 miles by airplane to Sacramento with my mother to a family event.

It’s hard letting kids go away on their own. But it’s also so good for them.

Letting go is incredibly difficult, even though I knew this was coming. My mother likes taking her grandchildren on trips, and prefers to start around age 3. That’s old enough they can generally stand being away from home for a couple of nights.

One of the most challenging things this time around was dealing with my 6 year old daughter. She had a lot of fun on her trip over the summer with her grandmother, but she kept asking her brother if he was scared to go on his. Not the question he needed to be asked!

We put a stop to that quickly, explaining that he would have a lot of fun, and we needed to keep things positive.

It’s important to keep things positive. Young children do easily get worried about being away from home and family. We talked a lot about the fun things he’d be doing. We did touch on that it is okay to miss your family. Can’t ignore that completely, but we keep the emphasis away from that and on the positives.

It works well. My son was quite happy to leave Saturday morning.

One of the hardest parts is figuring out how much contact to have when your child is away. At this age, painfully, contact is often best being minimal. A reminder of home is more likely to result in more tears and sadness for a child on a trip. As they get older it gets easier to keep in contact… which is much easier on the parents too. It’s hard not even talking to your child for a couple of days!

One of the fun things is when your child comes back home. They’re glad to be back, and sometimes you can see the changes. My son is very quiet, for example. This trip may help him to express himself around other people better. Or not. Sometimes there really aren’t a lot of changes.

The right age to let a child go on a trip with someone else is a very personal decision. Not every child is ready for this kind of trip at an early age. Not every parent is ready to let go. You may not even have a family member up for taking your child on a trip without you.

But hard as it has been having my son away this weekend, I know he’s having a great time and will be glad to come home.

The post When Your Child Travels Without You appeared first on Home with the Kids Blog.

Gas prices are up and a lot of people are cutting back on travel this summer. But if you do take a road trip with the kids, why not make it as easy as possible on yourself?

1. Pack Healthy Snacks and Drinks

Think about how often kids get hungry on the road. If you bring along snacks and a few drinks you can cut down on those little stops that add up so much.

The healthier, the better. Salty snacks can encourage kids to drink more, and as every parent knows, every drink encourages a demand for a potty break. If your children like fresh vegetables such as cucumbers or bell peppers, these have a nice bit of liquid in them so they won’t make the kids feel too thirsty. Fruits can be good as well.

Keep the drinks to water and juice. Soda can make the urge to go to the bathroom even more powerful for a lot of people.

And of course try to minimize the trash. The cooler carrying your snacks will take up enough space; why make it worse with a trash bag?

2. Plan for Boredom

Traveling is boring for the most part, after all. There’s only so much scenery to be enjoyed along most highways.

DVD players are very popular these days. The portable ones are amazingly cheap and I know a lot of families have them already. Let each child pick some movies to bring along. Just don’t let them overuse it when you get to your destination.

There are a lot of games you can play in the car too. I Spy and similar games can keep everyone happily busy. Games that don’t require you bring a board or pieces are best for in the car – nothing to lose and no space taken, but many kids have handheld video games they can bring along for a little solo entertainment.

3. Know How Urgent Potty Breaks Can Be

The younger the child, the more urgent the need for a potty break generally is. The fact that they tell you just as you pass the last exit for the next 30 miles doesn’t help matters any.

Plan regular breaks, with the separation being good for the youngest child. Make sure they use the potty too! Taking “but I don’t need to go potty” for an answer is sure to make you pull over at the very next stop. Kids are great that way.

4. Take It Easy

It’s amazingly easy to be overstressed when you travel. Don’t make your schedule too tight. Allow for unplanned exploration and relaxation. Take stretch breaks and play breaks. These can really cut down on the whining. You shouldn’t need a vacation from your vacation.

What else would you suggest?

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