The experience of being on an enormous ship with
seemingly infinite things to do is an incredible thrill for
any kid. It's a feeling like being in the center of the
world, with nothing to fear. A truly unique feeling.
A kid, if he's smart, knows that a cruise is much
more relaxed and
flexible than during a normal school
week. For example, on a cruise, I believe that there
should be no bed-time because even if they sleep �till
noon, it's only their loss of time to swim, play video
games, play Ping-Pong, go to programs, etc......
I know from experience that no adult should force
a kid to go to a kid program if they don't want to. Some kids love them,
some find them boring and uninteresting, so if they want
to do anything else, let them! A good idea, however, is
to go with your child to the first introductory program so
that they can meet some of the other kids on the
cruise. I know that some parents would feel a lot better
if their child went to all programs so that they know
where they are at all times, but, people like this really
need to ease-up, because where are your kids going to
go? Will they jump off the ship? (That was meant as a
joke. If you really are worried about your kid jumping off
the ship, then maybe it is a good idea to keep them in
the programs, and seek them some help when you get
home...).
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Meal-time is also a really great time for a kid
because there's the feeling of going to a restaurant
every night, which they practically are. Let them order
whatever they want. If they want to try something new,
don't say that they won't like it, even if they won't. If it
turns out that it tastes like a melted boot sprinkled with
pond scum, they can always send it back and get
some chicken fingers or something...
About a day or two into the cruise, your kid should
find what they like and will likely stick to that activity quite
constantly. If a kid spends the entire day in the pool, let
him be! This means that they are having a great time
and are enjoying every minute of this cruise. I don't
care if they look like great, great, Grandpa' Jed after
a month-long, scalding-hot shower. You let them stay
in!
And finally, the arcade. If your kid is anything like
me, they will immediately proceed with spending
incredible amounts of money on "one last lap". From
experience, I know that it's really disappointing to have
a limit set on the amount of money I can spend. When
my dad, Kuki (sure you've heard of him), sets a money
limit on me, I cleverly negotiate with him (in parent
speak: nag him) and finally get him to double the set
limit. A good idea for you , is to double your set
limit in your mind so that you can eliminate that
oh-so-aggravating phase of the arcade experience.
Trust me on this one.
Another thing that will usually make your kid very happy, is to join your
child in the arcade. You can watch them, or better yet, play against them,
and they will brighten up.
Thank you for coming on this guided tour of your kid's mind on cruising.
I hope you learned something.
