bookbard Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 The headline is a bit of a broad stroke, but I thought this was interesting: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/family-holidays/the-science-behind-how-holidays-make-your-child-happier-and-smarter/ I guess holidays (vacations in the US) are another benefit of having money and time vs living in poverty. Also, I wonder whether families with children with ASD or behaviour/emotional difficulties would be less likely to take holidays (seems likely) and therefore have less exposure to some of the benefits listed here - green time, play time, seeking time. I love holidays, and this is definitely a good reason to plan even a short visit to the city or similar . . . 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 (edited) One doesn't have to go on holiday to enjoy green time or playtime. There are numerous parks that can be enjoyed at very low cost. I was on reduced lunch when I grew up...like every other family we camped, hiked, fished,etc. And the boys hunted with dad. Edited February 23, 2017 by Heigh Ho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 I loved reading this, thank you for sharing. I often think we undervalue the benefits of vacation in the US, but generally I think in terms of how they benefit adults - I hadn't considered the benefits to kids till reading. It made me think of that book or essay by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, when she talks about the different stages our brain goes through as we are out of our everyday space. Someone else will recall the title, I'm sure, but I often think of that essay/book as we go on vacation, and I see my DH going through clearly marked phases as he releases the work experience and relaxes into a vacation - there's something magical that happens for him right at the 2 - 3 week mark. And being in the US, with our cultural norms around vacation time, that means the magic happens right about the time we need to head home. :glare: Not sure if I'm making sense here yet, need more coffee... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scholastica Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 I loved reading this, thank you for sharing. I often think we undervalue the benefits of vacation in the US, but generally I think in terms of how they benefit adults - I hadn't considered the benefits to kids till reading. It made me think of that book or essay by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, when she talks about the different stages our brain goes through as we are out of our everyday space. Someone else will recall the title, I'm sure, but I often think of that essay/book as we go on vacation, and I see my DH going through clearly marked phases as he releases the work experience and relaxes into a vacation - there's something magical that happens for him right at the 2 - 3 week mark. And being in the US, with our cultural norms around vacation time, that means the magic happens right about the time we need to head home. :glare: Not sure if I'm making sense here yet, need more coffee... Gift from the Sea is the book. Love that book. It's up there with A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf and A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Gift from the Sea is the book. Love that book. It's up there with A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf and A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle Thank you! I looked it up and read a bit online right after posting. It took me back years and years. Oh, how I loved that book! Just reading the excerpt made me happy, and now I want to go on vacation. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Using the word 'holiday' instead of 'vacation' makes me happier. :laugh: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Holidays (vacations) have certainly made my children both smarter and happier. They make my dh and me smarter and happier too. Smarter if you mean more knowledgeable. I don't know about IQ since dh went on only a few when he was young and I went on a lot of them when I was young (and no, we weren't rich but squarely middle income I suppose) and yet we have pretty close IQs. Dh's blue collar parents did provide him with alternate ways of improving his intellect like getting him a National Geographic subscription at age 7 which he has continued to this day and getting him books about astronomy, in which he was interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Using the word 'holiday' instead of 'vacation' makes me happier. :laugh: I feel opposite. The term grates on me for some reason. Some very weird irrational reason I can't explain. LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 I like the word holidays. I sometimes use it even now, more than ten years after I lived overseas where that term was used a lot when I would read the English version of travel sites and hotels, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookbard Posted February 23, 2017 Author Share Posted February 23, 2017 (edited) Oh good, another way being poor has stuffed up my kids! Well, I am sure you have at least once taken the kids to the beach or the city. I was more thinking the sort of poverty where kids can live their whole lives and never see the sea (and it's only 100k away. Obviously, if you're in a landlocked country, different story). Edited February 23, 2017 by bookbard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 (edited) I feel opposite. The term grates on me for some reason. Some very weird irrational reason I can't explain. LOL I don't mind holiday, but when you say it grates on you - I totally get it. Years and years ago, our oldest came home from a vacation with this stilted, assumed accent. It drove me crazy. So "holiday" and "vitamins" (pronounced with a short i sound for the first syllable - which is perfectly reasonable in many places, but not the norm in any of the US areas we'd lived), were among other words suddenly pronounced differently... Oh, did it grate on the nerves! Editing to say that those words/pronunciations don't phase me when they come out of a person's mouth naturally. They are normal. It was the stilted, assumed nature of the sudden "accent" that I found irritating. Edited February 23, 2017 by Spryte 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Oh good, another way being poor has stuffed up my kids! It is no surprise that kids who grow up with privilege (and yeah, regular holidays are a privilege) do better. Oh yeh, definitely a privilege. The optimist in me wants to see more studies like this, and hopes to see change in employer culture - with more paid vacation becoming the norm. I know that right now that's unlikely, given the climate in many places, but one can dream. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 I don't mind holiday, but when you say it grates on you - I totally get it. Years and years ago, our oldest came home from a vacation with this stilted, assumed accent. It drove me crazy. So "holiday" and "vitamins" (pronounced with a short i sound for the first syllable - which is perfectly reasonable in many places, but not the norm in any of the US areas we'd lived), were among other words suddenly pronounced differently... Oh, did it grate on the nerves! Editing to say that those words/pronunciations don't phase me when they come out of a person's mouth naturally. They are normal. It was the stilted, assumed nature of the sudden "accent" that I found irritating. Ah yes. My older kid speaks with British pronunciations. He has done so for so long that now it does come naturally to him, but it is still not quite right. It drives me absolutely INSANE. I don't say a word because I don't want to encourage him, but I'm losing hope. LOL He's an unusual person... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Ah yes. My older kid speaks with British pronunciations. He has done so for so long that now it does come naturally to him, but it is still not quite right. It drives me absolutely INSANE. I don't say a word because I don't want to encourage him, but I'm losing hope. LOL He's an unusual person... I didn't realize we may have twins. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 I feel opposite to you. I hate the word 'vacation!' also for a weird irrational reason. Even worse is 'vacay'. Shudder. 'Holiday' has a much nicer flow. Me, too. Especially when it's spelled "vaca." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Ah yes. My older kid speaks with British pronunciations. He has done so for so long that now it does come naturally to him, but it is still not quite right. It drives me absolutely INSANE. I don't say a word because I don't want to encourage him, but I'm losing hope. LOL He's an unusual person... I have one of those, too. :lol: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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