Summer Travel

As summer is here and we are wanting to take a family vacation, how do you travel with a child that is sensitive to noise, people, stimulation and has outbursts?

We have tried to travel in the past and it is very hard with my son due to not knowing what to expect and dealing with a change.  We have always tried to give him plenty of notice when we are doing things and try to give him as much explanation and information as possible but traveling still seems to be a disaster. Haha.

A few years ago, we tried to go to a cabin thinking that being away from large crowds would be better, but he still could not cope. He threw a fit until someone brought him home early, which is usually always me.  This has been really hard on the other kids because they want to be able to enjoy a fun family vacation where everyone can stay together.  It has gotten to the point now where he will just stay home if we go anywhere so he doesn’t have to leave home or his comfort zone.

My husband took the boys fishing a few weeks ago and I was a nervous wreck the whole time because I just never know how my son will behave and I don’t want it to affect everyone else and their fun.  I also have a personal issue that I am working through where I feel like I am the only one that can handle him or feel responsible in a way for his behaviors. I know this is not true, but I feel like no one else can handle him the way I can.  Sure enough they were one day in and he was screaming and stomping around and demanding to be taken home.  My husband is way better than I am at ignoring his behaviors and not giving in and sure enough he got over it.  He sat in the car the entire day waiting for someone to take him home, but they never did! I did realize on this trip that my son can survive without me and that he needs to learn to adapt in unfamiliar situations, life is not easy and will be much harder for him to navigate through.

Right now, as I am writing this, I am also looking at booking a cruise for us all to go on next month, I have no idea how this will go as there are a lot of people and there is really NO taking him back home! Haha.  He is excited about going and he has taken to lifting weights to help calm him down, so he did ask if there was a gym on the boat?  I am just hoping that with enough gym time, basketball, 24-hour food and wine for me, we will all survive and enjoy our summer family vacation!!

Stay tuned for the follow-up…………