Back in the 90s, there was an infomercial that came on all the time featuring a short, spiky blonde-haired woman, Susan Powter, who was selling her “Stop the Insanity” workout videos. Every year as Spring Break inches closer, I feel like good ‘ol Susan. Let me introduce to you my infomercial – Spring Break: Stop the Insanity!
Spring Break is a week every year in March where schools and universities shut down and give everyone a break to relax and refresh before the seniors get too far gone in their senioritis, no one is concentrating, and teachers are ready to run for the hills. It has evolved from high school and college students piling up in their old cars and taking a trip to Panama City where you sleep way too many people to a room and eat Waffle House and turkey sandwiches— to skiing trips, Disney cruises, and European country-hopping for a week. In early February last year, I was asked at least twice a week, “What are you guys doing for Spring Break?”
STOP THE INSANITY!
What expectations are we setting for our children when we start taking these elaborate vacations for a week in the spring (you know, before the two beach trips in the summer and a trip during Christmas break) when they are 5 and 6 years old? What pressure are we putting on ourselves to keep up with what social media and the world tells us?
Not everyone has a week to take a Spring Break trip, even if they have the money to do so. Full-time working parents may get ten vacation days a year and they have to use those when little Johnny is sick or Susie has a school performance. Other families may have the time, but not the money. But here we are, all thinking of things we can do with our kids during the break because…that’s what we are “supposed” to do.
STOP THE INSANITY!
Do NOT go into debt or dip into your vacation time for a Spring Break trip! Instead, take ONE day and do something fun with your kids.
1. Let them stay up a little later.
2. Go to the movie theater and buy a huge tub of popcorn and watch a fun movie together.
3. Have a picnic at the park. Write and perform a song together.
4. Let them sleep in and skip chores for a day.
Spring Break is just that — a break.
That being said…instead of a bunch of toys that your kid might play with twice at Christmas, consider saving your money for a trip.
