When school lets out and we put away our backpacks and lunchboxes, it finally means we can relax! No more making lunches at night, no more signing schedules, no more supervising homework. No more rushing around at bath and bedtime, no more setting an alarm in the morning. Yes, it’s definitely vacation time! So? What are we going to do? Despite COVID, we need a vacation! Unfortunately, it’s going to be very different this year.
Every child needs a vacation—that’s for sure. Even though, for us, daycare and school aren’t as demanding as our 9-to-5 jobs, we’re definitely looking forward to our vacation with an eagerness that reminds us of our own childhood. It’s a daily challenge to share an adult’s attention, to learn new words, and to figure out how to pronounce or spell them. Just like an office job, our children also have demands to meet, and it’s only fair to let them take a breather. Even though some have already seen their daily lives disrupted by homeschooling combined with remote work, the fact remains that this situation is exhausting.
In our household—and far be it from me to tell you this is THE way to do it—we’re letting it all go. We push back bedtime, stock the fridge with fresh fruit, and make sure we have enough cereal, toast, and muffins to make mornings easy. We get together with other moms and our little ones at the parks and drink iced coffee while our kids play. This year, we’ll add the required health and safety measures to our park visits—all kinds of hand sanitizers will be packed in our backpacks!!
Next, we’re planning a little getaway. A special weekend at a hotel where we can go out without worrying about doing the dishes or making the beds—and where we’ll be too busy to stay inside. We’re looking for places to visit with the kids, setting a budget, and heading out. This year, all the cabins are booked, and hotels have their own complicated protocols. We’ll have to get creative! Maybe camping in the backyard?
We’re also planning a weekend at a water park; for us, that’s a must. My oldest heads off with Dad to ride the “adult” slides, while I stay with my little one in the wading pool to enjoy the sun and the warmer water. Sometimes we pack a lunch; other times we treat ourselves to the total luxury of eating there. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that we can make a reservation, that the weather will be on our side that day, and that the safety measures won’t put a damper on the fun!
We also love visiting local markets and buying fresh, locally sourced produce, which we’ll have fun incorporating into new recipes or grilling on the BBQ. Our oldest is now allowed to use sharper knives (with supervision, of course!) and she loves helping to prepare the day’s culinary delights. It’s an activity that will feel pretty much normal, except for the wait time if a lot of people show up on the same day.
In fact, for us, the key is above all to listen to each other. To let the kids set the pace of the day, tune in to our own needs, spend time together, create memories that will last a lifetime—but most of all, to give the kids (and ourselves, too) a reason to work hard all year long so we can say: FINALLY, VACATION!!! And in this context, with measures requiring people to rethink how they do things, we should still take this opportunity to support local businesses and efforts to foster a sense of familiarity in this “new normal.”