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Jakarta Post

How to survive a holiday with kids

Little step: If parents are unsure if their children are ready for a long holiday abroad, psychologist Nadya Pramesrani suggests they take a short holiday at a nearby spot

Juliana Harsianti (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Tue, June 18, 2019

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How to survive a holiday with kids

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ittle step: If parents are unsure if their children are ready for a long holiday abroad, psychologist Nadya Pramesrani suggests they take a short holiday at a nearby spot. (JP/Jessicha Valentina)

Going on a holiday with kids poses many challenges for parents, such as packing lots of snacks and toys to keep them quiet throughout a long flight.

When it comes to planning a holiday, parents have different views about the best age to start traveling with kids.

Anita Jolanda, a business analyst from Jakarta, decided to take her 1-year-old on a winter holiday abroad. Meanwhile, Laurensia Mira, a mother of three from Bandung, West Java, feels more comfortable traveling with children once they reach the age of 5.

Laurensia said she believed that children aged 5 and above could be easily managed during a holiday. But this does not mean a holiday with a 5-year-old is trouble-free.

“Sometimes the children will be cranky when we’re eating at a restaurant,” she said.

Having fun: A mother skates with her daughter on a rink at the Pondok Indah Mall in South Jakarta. (Photo by Marcel Thee)
Having fun: A mother skates with her daughter on a rink at the Pondok Indah Mall in South Jakarta. (Photo by Marcel Thee)

Nadya Pramesrani, a psychologist at the early education center Rumah Dandelion, suggests there is no specific age to start taking kids on holidays.

“Everything depends on the parents’ preparedness in guiding their children,” she said at a recent discussion in Jakarta.

Despite all the holiday-related hassles experienced by parents, holidays help children become more independent and learn new things.

“The kids will become aware that their world isn’t just restricted to their residential environment,” the psychologist said. “They will notice the things they have only seen in books or on television like flowers, stones or shores.”

Holidays can stimulate a child’s imagination and increase their enthusiasm for exploration. Therefore, children who regularly go on holidays tended to grow into more flexible, self-reliant and open-minded individuals, Nadya suggested.

Cooking time: Holiday activities can help children learn new things and become more independent. (Photo by Juliana Harsianti)
Cooking time: Holiday activities can help children learn new things and become more independent. (Photo by Juliana Harsianti)

She added that family holidays could also improve the parents’ relationship with each other and their children too.

To ensure an enjoyable family holiday, Nadya suggested that parents plan an itinerary that fitted the interests of all family members.

Nadya emphasized the importance of communication between parents and children to ensure they all had a good time during their holiday. If any of them feels burdened or uncomfortable with one destination or activity, the family should make adjustments accordingly.

If the parents were unsure about whether their children were ready for a long-haul flight and a week-long holiday, Nadya recommended that they go on a short holiday to a nearby location first.

For instance, a family can spend one day at a tourist spot in their city. When the parents are able to easily manage their children during such outings, they can try a longer holiday at a more distant destination.

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