My teenage daughter and I went on vacation just the two of us. It helped us better connect.
24.04.2024 - 14:33
/ insider.com
When I reflect on my teenage years, I remember the peer pressure, the pimples, and the sting of social awkwardness. I especially remember the feeling of my parents just not "getting me."
Now, as a parent to a teenage girl, I often worry she feels the same way. I wonder if she feels like we can't connect and that I couldn't possibly relate to what she's going through. I know that I often struggle to understand her world and find it impossible to connect with her when she's constantly distracted by her social life and social media.
So I took action and decided to plan a weekend getaway — just me and my 15-year-old daughter. Here's how I planned and survived our trip together.
"Travel allows you to be with your teen without the rest of their ecosystem getting in the way," Mendi Baron, an LCSW, told me. "Make the most out of the experience by seeing what your teen wants to do and finding a way to synthesize both of your experiences together."
So, for our mother-daughter trip, we sat down together and came up with our shared vacation wishes over dinner: Sunshine and pool time scored high on both wish lists. "Roller coasters" was a top theme on her wish list, while I added "at least one museum visit" to mine.
We reached a compromise: "I'll ride the crazy coasters if you make the most of your museum visit with me," I told her.
We considered a few destinations but ultimately decided that a five-day trip to Los Angeles would perfectly fulfill our wish list.
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With four full days in Los Angeles, we split the planning in two. I planned two days focused on LA culture. My two-day itinerary included a tour of Sony Pictures Studios, a tour of the Grauman Theater, a stroll down the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a visit to the Hollywood Museum.
My daughter was in charge of our two theme park days and devised a careful plan of the rides we couldn't miss at Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood, as well as our breakfast, lunch, and dinner options for each day. She downloaded the apps for both parks and scheduled our day on the app so we could enjoy a stress-free day of theme park fun.
We also chose our hotel, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which fit our wish list because of its dazzling swimming pool.
Our trip was the perfect mix of sightseeing, fun, and relaxation. I made a point of scheduling downtime by the pool to catch up and catch some rays, making the most of the LA sunshine. We even enjoyed a poolside yoga class, striking our best warrior princess poses beside the swimming pool.
Our tour of Sony Pictures Studio gave us fascinating insight into the incredible efforts and expertise involved in making movies.
At Disneyland, we zipped down Space Mountain, zoomed around the Matterhorn, and paddled