Jack and I spent the weekend in Ocean City with my family and it’s so nice to get away, even for a couple days. The weather was a little chilly on the beach on Saturday, but absolutely perfect on Sunday.
Most of the time, Jack is totally content playing by himself with his beach toys. However, over the weekend with a super late 10pm bedtime and many of his favorite people in one place… well, there was A LOT of whining. Like, so much whining. Maybe even ALL the whining. It was exhausting.
So, I’m wondering… when on vacation, how do you deal with whining, bad behavior and meltdowns? Do you give them a free pass because they’re low on sleep and high on energy? Or do you stick with regular rules and punishments? I’d love to hear what you have to say in the comments!
For me, it’s a little of both. If it’s just general whining, I point out that mommy doesn’t respond to whining. If it’s bad behavior – like splashing when someone says “no” – I pull him out of the situation, get down on his level and have the “no means no” talk for the millionth time. All in all, I’m really lucky that Jack is mostly well behaved, but he certainly gets a little crazy and acts out like any 5 year old!
Here are some pretty pictures with no whining included:
Don’t forget to leave a comment to tell me your thoughts on vacation discipline!