Question:
We have a trip planned for the weekend to a family reunion in the mountains. We have been looking forward to it for more than a year. My older son is especially excited. We had planned to be gone Friday to Monday. School starts for both of them on August 15. Given the magnitude of the change we are about to embark on (new home, new school, new friends), is this trip too much? Additionally, my younger son will be in school for the very first time, attending in the mornings. So I guess I have two questions…
So do we cancel this trip? If we do go, how do I help them both with this disruption?
Is 5 days of school too much for my youngest?
Answer:
The only way to go on the trip is to keep the school routine while you are there. What do I mean by that? The time they go to sleep, eat, and activities should be the same as when they are at home.
So late nights with family members may not be an option, but you wouldn't have to cancel.
You can go and just do the reunion, just expect them to be off and take extra time to settle into school afterwards. It's not awful, you and your partner will just have to manage their possible set back and sleep deprivation.
For your youngest’s school days, it's not the days the child is in school, it's the consistency. Once a parent chooses what days a little one will be in preschool, it is important to stick with it.