by staff

Traveling with your kids can be extremely rewarding, educational, and exciting. Unfortunately, there are going to be times when you just won’t be able to bring them along. Maybe you are heading out for a weeklong business trip or maybe you are just looking for a romantic getaway with the spouse. Whatever that situation is, leaving your child or children at home can be worrisome and scary at the same time. Not only will the departure be hard, but also the whole separation will be even harder. This is why it is always important to properly prepare the child for the trip ahead, but how exactly can you do this?

Telling The Child About The Trip
This first and most important thing you have to do is announce the trip to the child. You don’t want to wait until you are packed and ready to head out the door to tell the child about the trip. You want to give them at least one or two-week notice. Explain to them where you are going and why you are going. And, most importantly explain to them why you aren’t taking them along. If it is work, the situation might be easier to explain, but if you are looking for some romantic getaway time, you might have a harder task on your hands.

Finding An Appropriate Sitter
Finding a trustworthy and appropriate sitter for your child can be difficult. Make sure that you plan ahead to get yourself enough time to find an excellent sitter that will care for your child in your absence. Your best option is to seek out relatives or friends first that are up to the task. However, if this just isn’t an option that suits your needs, you are going to need to go through a vetting process. Find several sitters, sit them down, and thoroughly interview them. Just make sure that you are leaving your child with only someone that you trust 100 percent.

Keep Every Casual And Running Normally
While you are away, you will want to change your child’s life as little as possible. Your absence will be a big enough shock and change for the child. You want to make sure that their other routines aren’t interrupted as well. If they have a school, they should attend just like normal. Everything should go on just like a normal day. Make sure that your sitter knows your child’s schedule in and out. Remember to get your bills paid on time and check your child support payments if necessary. If you need to make a child support modification or something similar, you should make sure it is finalized before you leave.

Take Advantage Of Technology
Thanks to all the technological devices available in today’s world, you can easily and quickly stay connected with your children at all times. Whether you are face timing with them before bed or sending them a good luck text message before their best test or baseball game, you have the option of staying connected at all times. Of course, this might be a little harder with smaller children that can’t talk or walk yet, but you can help comfort them by keeping a picture of you by their bedside. Of course, you can always have the sitter place the phone near the child’s ear and let them hear your voice, as this could make a major difference as well.

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