Bonding time! 5 GREAT reasons to take a trip with your teenager
As always, with the advent of the longer evenings comes our tentative plans for the summer ahead. So why not consider a mum and teen trip away, just you guys? Whether it’s a staycation in Ireland for a couple of days, a road trip or a city break, taking a trip with your teenager is a valuable experience for both mum and child (“Mum, I’m NOT a child!”)
Here’s why:
1. You can learn new things about each other
The best way to learn new things about a person you think you know, is to put them in an unfamiliar place or situation and see what actions and reactions it throws up. Your son or daughter might see you as ‘mum’, the person who tells them that they have to wear a longer skirt or stop drinking fizzy drinks. Likewise, you might think your moody teenager’s only interests are Slipknot and being with their friends. Taking trip together will help you rediscover who each other and teach you that there’s SO much more to you both.
2. It’s fertile ground for bonding
Sure, you might snipe at each other at time to time throughout the trip – such are eternal laws of motherhood and teenagerdom – but by travelling together you are making memories, forging experiences more or less as equals and spending quality time together.
3. You can find out what’s going on in their lives
Travelling together is a non-threatening way for teenagers to open up naturally to their mums. While many teens have no problem telling their mums what’s going on in their lives, plenty more can’t help holding it all in. Chatting innocently in the car, or over dinner, or while you’re both sightseeing, can open your teenager up, and offer disclosures you NEVER would have gotten at home with the question, “So what’s going on with you?”
4. It makes them feel loved
For most of us, life is a busy affair. Juggling kids, work, family life and relationship can leave us drained. Taking some time out of the madness to connect with your teenagers will make them feel cared about, loved and secure. It tells them that they are special, and spending time with them, alone, is important to you.
5. They won’t be teenagers forever
The teen years fly by in the blink of an eye, so despite the smelly socks under the bed and the angst-ridden poetry, savour them. The teen years bridge the gap between childhood and adulthood, so make sure you’re making the most of them by creating memories and experiences you’ll draw on for years to come.
What do you think mums? Will you be planning a trip with your teen this summer? Or have you taken a trip with them recently? If so, what was your experience? We would love to hear from you on this!