4 Ways to Prepare Your Family for Large Crowds
By Britt Reints, REDBOOK
We had planned the itinerary of our year-long American road trip so that we'd be in the Washington, D.C. area over the 4th of July holiday, but we almost let warnings about crowds prevent us from experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime celebration. Thankfully, we decided to do a little pre-planning and take our chances with the masses. The result was an Independence Day the four of us will never forget.
Do you avoid taking your kids to fun events because of large crowds? These tips can help you navigate the crowds with ease and enjoy your family outing.
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1. Have an emergency plan. Before heading into the city, we talked to the kids about what they should do if they got separated from us. In this particular case, that plan involved finding a police officer and giving their name, our names, and our phone numbers. Sometimes, the best plan is to designate a landmark where everyone will meet if someone gets lost.
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2. Initiate martial law. In addition to going over a backup plan, we talked to the kids about the massive crowd we'd be spending the day with and the importance of listening the first time. We let them know that special circumstances called for special rules, including an 11-year-old needing to hold his mom's hand for much of the day. We all agreed ahead of time that there'd be no arguing and that we'd make an extra effort to be patient with each other (and other people). We had no complaints about the stricter rules during the long day and night in D.C.
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3. Pack water and snacks. Our kids are old enough that we don't need a fully-stocked diaper bag on most days, but they still get crabby if they're hungry or thirsty. Bringing a backpack with snacks and water bottles keeps everyone in better spirits throughout the day. Having snacks easily available also made it easy to stop and take break for refueling when anyone started to show signs of wear. A few minutes on a park bench to get a drink and eat a few crackers is a simple way to get everyone refocused and recharged.
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4. Plan light. Although we were in D.C. for about 10 hours on the 4th of July, we only had two things we were absolutely certain we wanted to do: watch the parade and watch the fireworks. We had to do a lot of waiting before both events, but we'd allowed plenty of time in our day to prevent feeling rushed.
Britt Reints is a freelance writer currently traveling the country with her husband and four kids in a 24-foot RV. You can read about their adventures on her blog, "In Pursuit of Happiness."
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