BALANCE
STAY–CATION
The Perfect Alternative for Special Needs Families
W
hen the money situation is as short
as your child’s attention span, a
summer vacation may be out of the
question. Even if money wasn’t a problem, the
reality is that, for many special needs families,
the stress of going someplace different is just
way too much. Every trip requires careful planning, every new outing a social story, and on
and on and on. But a STAYCATION may be just
the BALANCE you need!
What is a STAYCATION? Exactly what
the name suggests—a vacation at home. A
STAYCATION allows you to put yourself into
a relaxed state of mind and enjoy some quality
family time without having to drag the weighted blanket and car full of faithful stuffed animals with you. But in order to get the most out
of your STAYCATION, there are a few things
we suggest you do. At first they may seem a bit
radical and expensive, but remember, you are
on vacation!
CANCEL COMMITMENTS- Yes, you are
home, but you need to take the time off for your
vacation as if you were not. That means taking
the days off of work and telling the therapist
you will be away. This seems to be the hardest
part for many moms. After all if hubby is home,
it is a perfect time to sneak away and take care
of all those items on the to-do list. But would
you really have your teeth cleaned if you were
at DISNEY? Hopefully not!
HIRE A CLEANING LADY- This is the
radical and expensive part that most people
raise their eyebrows at, but, for a lot of us, the
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ZOOM Autism through Many Lenses
best parts of being on vacation are not making
the beds or having to wash the dishes. So go
ahead and splurge and hire someone to clean
up after you.
PACK- This sounds really crazy, but hear us
out. How much time do you waste each morning trying to figure out what to wear or finding
a clean pair of socks? On the other hand, before
every vacation, you usually do all the laundry
and pack only the necessary items. While you
don’t need to bring out a suitcase, although the
kids may enjoy that, go ahead and pull out 3
days’ worth of outfits ahead of time. That way
you can skip the drama and get right to the fun
every day.
GET INTO IT- Why not let the kids check into
your HOME HOTEL? Have them sign a ledger
and fill out a room service card of what they
will have for breakfast the next morning. Then
the next day pretend to be room service and
bring them breakfast in bed.
HOME SWEET HOME- The best part
about a STAYCATION is that at the end of a
long day, you get to come home and sleep in
your own beds. Change is hard for some of our
loved ones, but with a STAYCATION, you get
all the benefits of a regular vacation with minimal change. We can’t think of a better way to
keep BALANCE in your life than that!
Have you ever done a STAYCATION? Send us some pictures
that we can share in our next issue to [email protected].
ZOOM Autism through Many Lenses
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