Spring break is just around the corner, and if you’re like most parents in the US, you’re probably already feeling anxious, worried, and overwhelmed. You’re wondering: What am I going to do with my kids for the next ten days while I’m still working?

I get it. The pressure is real. But today, I want to offer you a different framework—one that prioritizes your child’s well-being over cultural expectations.

The American Spring Break Pressure

Here in the United States, parents feel enormous pressure to schedule activities for every single day of their children’s lives. When spring break arrives, this pressure intensifies exponentially.

Parents go miles out of their way:

• Making significant financial investments
• Taking time off work
• Scheduling everything around elaborate spring break activities
• Planning big trips to theme parks (Disney World, Universal, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens)

These destinations are absolutely packed with families during spring break—everyone trying to make the most of this “precious time off.”

When Big Trips Make Sense

I’m not saying family trips are inherently bad. If it’s important to your family, if you do it once a year as a tradition, if relatives from across the country are joining you for a reunion—absolutely, go for it.

But don’t do it just for the sake of having every single day booked.

Don’t fall into the trap of believing that Monday through Friday (or Friday to Friday) needs to be completely scheduled with:

• Road trips
• Plane changes
• Hotel stays
• Meetups with cousins and grandparents
• Constant movement and stimulation

Letter A: Allow Time

The first letter in our ABC framework stands for Allow Time.

More specifically: allow time to rest, to be unstructured, to simply be.

Why Your Child’s Nervous System Needs Rest

Your child’s nervous system and body desperately need to rest. Think about what their typical school routine looks like:

A Day in the Life:

• Leave home at 7:00 or 7:30 AM
• Rigidly scheduled classes
• After-school activities
• Bus schedules
• Coaches and team practices
• Return home at 7:30 or 8:00 PM

Your child is literally disconnected from their body for 12+ hours a day. They’re operating under a regimented schedule that leaves no room for self-regulation, body awareness, or authentic rest.

This is not okay. Children cannot properly develop under such pressured schedules.

What “Allow Time” Really Means

Allow time that is:

• Unstructured – No rigid schedules or planned activities
• Free – The child chooses how to spend it
• Present – In familiar surroundings, not constantly traveling
• Unscheduled – Spontaneous and flexible

The Gift of Boredom

I know many of us are terrified of hearing “I’m bored, I’m bored, I’m bored!” We’re afraid our children will spend all day on their phones or playing video games.

But here’s what most parents don’t understand: boredom is where inquiry and personal curiosity begin to percolate.

When children are given unstructured time, their natural curiosity starts to emerge. Their creativity awakens. They start to inhabit their own bodies again.

The Adult’s Role in Unstructured Time

This doesn’t mean total abandonment. We can’t give children completely unstructured time while being completely unavailable to them.

Your presence matters:

• Be in the vicinity of your child (especially if they’re under 10-12 years old)
• Be available when they invite you into their world
• Allow them to come to you with their ideas and interests
• Create space for them to connect with other kids in unstructured ways

Most of the time, children want to be with other kids, but in an unstructured fashion—not another scheduled playdate with a predetermined activity.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Instead of this:

• Every day packed with activities
• Constantly on the go
• Scheduled entertainment from morning to night

Try this:

• Go to your local park for an hour in the morning or afternoon
• Spend the rest of the day at home
• Let your child rest, play, and reconnect with themselves
• Be available in the background
• Allow boredom to spark creativity

It’s Okay to Stay Home

Let me say this clearly: It’s okay to stay home during spring break.

You don’t have to travel. You don’t have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars. You don’t have to create Instagram-worthy memories every single day.

What your child needs most is the opportunity to:

• Come back into their body
• Inhabit their own physical and emotional space
• Rest their overstimulated nervous system
• Rediscover their natural curiosity
• Simply be, without performing or producing

Coming Up: Letters B and C

This is just the first letter in our ABC framework for a healthy spring break. In the next articles, we’ll explore the remaining letters that will help you create a meaningful, restorative break for both you and your children.

Remember: the goal isn’t to fill every moment. The goal is to give your child what they truly need—and often, that’s simply the gift of time.

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