How to Survive A Trip Visiting Overseas Grandparents?
Like many expat families, we have to take a trip to visit the overseas grandparents once in a while. And we've been in Hong Kong for 2+ weeks now and it has been quite a crazy ride. The heat, the language, those people who pushed and shoved all the time...my kids are very much overwhelmed and are clinging to me like two koala bears. Here are a few tips to help your kid survive a trip visiting their overseas grandparents.
Ground rules. Even before we arrived, I spoke to my parents so we have established an understanding of some ground rules. Obviously things are a little different at the overseas grandparents' and I'm willing to turn a blind eye to the later bedtime and increased sugar consumption (the overseas grandparents should be allowed to spoil the grandkids a little, in my opinion). But there are certain things, such as hitting, my husband and I do not tolerate. So the grandparents understand and respect our parenting choice. Having such ground rules established are important as it will avoid many frictions during your stay.
Routines. The sudden change of time zone and environment can be overwhelming to anyone, especially small children. So it can be comforting for children to regain some of their normal routines and maybe create some new routines too. In Hong Kong, we continue to stick to our usual bedtime routine (bath, book, bed) and the 15-minute TV time before dinner. But we have also added a new routine where kids help the grandparents vacuum clean after breakfast - a great (and productive) bonding exercise that both grandparents and grandchildren enjoy!
A mix of languages. Though my toddler understands all three languages (Dutch, English and Cantonese), she has always responded in Dutch and sometimes mixed in a few English/Cantonese words. I could only imagine how overwhelming it must be for the little brains that the one of minority languages is suddenly spoken 24/7. Therefore, I have been speaking English to my little ones and we sometimes Skype with the Dutch family to maintain some of our trilingual habit. My toddler's confidence in Cantonese has significantly improved though and it is encouraging to see that she has been speaking broken Cantonese to the grandparents.
Wear your child. New environments can be scary for babies and toddlers. Instead of facing the strange new world alone in a buggy, my baby prefers the comfort of my arms. I am so grateful that we have brought our Ergobaby with us for this trip. And if you are visiting Hong Kong, a baby carrier is especially handy as the city is quite pram-unfriendly.
Take it easy. You may want to see everything and everyone during your stay and the grandparents probably want to take the grandchildren to all the cool places. But be realistic and try to take it easy. We try to start the day a bit later so we can have a mellow morning. And if your kid still takes a nap in the afternoon, try to let them have a "normal" nap in bed once in a while. Nobody wants a cranky, over tired kid.
Do you find visiting overseas grandparents joyful or stressful? And what do you do during such visits to make things easier? ScheduleSchedule
