Kids & Traveling: A Dude Ranch

Each summer, you begin to think of that wonderful vacation that you have dreamed about all winter long. But….. as the time nears, are you ready? Have you packed everything? Does everyone have everything they need? Did you remember Robbie’s ear medicine? What about Jennifer’s water shoes? By the time everything is packed, in the car, including your children and husband, you are exhausted . This was suppose to be a vacation! You wonder, when do I start on vacation! When traveling with young children, its hard to realize you are on vacation, because you’re on call 24 hours a day. One of the best family vacations is an all-inclusive resort that has a kids’ program to entertain them, while you have some quiet relaxing adult time.

One such place, is the Tanque Verde Ranch Resort in Arizona. Tanque Verde Ranch was nominated Top Ten Family Resort by Travel Channel in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Tanque Verde Ranch

Tanque Verde Ranch is nestled among the majestic natural beauty of the Rincon Mountains between Saguaro National Park and the Coronado National Forest just east of Tucson, Arizona. An Arizona dude ranch since 1868, the family guest ranch is comprised of more than sixty thousand acres of unspoiled southwest landscape. Plush accommodations, unparalleled amenities, and a diverse menu of daily rides and activities provide guests with a memorable dude ranch vacation sure to revive the spirit of the Old West! Proud of our history as a working horse ranch, Tanque Verde Ranch is the largest dude ranch resort in North America.

Children’s Program

Tanque Verde Ranch welcomes the youngest of guests and takes pride in offering a unique childrens dude ranch program specifically geared to each child’s age group, including Buckeroos ages four to six, and Wranglers aged seven to eleven. Our childrens horse program includes daily trail rides and kids horseback lessons. Daily kids programs also include other kids ranch activities such as tennis, swimming, games, arts, kids sports and educational nature programs. Children’s programs are available every day of the year, and include breakfast and lunch in our special children’s dining room. Parents are welcome to accompany children or pursue other activities during this time.

Spa

One of the best Arizona spa resorts, Tanque Verde Ranch offers a luxurious spa resort experience at our on-premise La Sonora Spa. From spa massages and Arizona body treatments to soothe the muscles and refresh the spirit, to nail treatments and hair salon services, you’ll enjoy an array of pampering sure to help you unwind and rejuvenate. Looking for a special spa getaway, girls spa retreat or romantic spa escape? Our ranch spa packages are a perfect way to spend time nurturing your mind, body, spirit and relationships in a beautiful Arizona spa resort.

Riding

Who hasn’t dreamed of saddling up a horse and riding out across the Old West in search of adventure? At Tanque Verde Ranch we have more than one hundred and eighty well-trained horses in our Stables, one of which already has your name on it. We offer horse riding lessons, a variety of riding programs, unique Sonoran desert riding experiences, horse trail rides, and horse riding instruction for all skill levels. With over sixty-thousand acres of pristine natural beauty to explore, you’ll find the desert horse riding experience you’re looking for at Tanque Verde Ranch–where dreams of adventure on horseback come to life.

Activities

Activity is something which there is never a shortage of at Tanque Verde Ranch. Guests are invited to take part in a variety of horseback riding adventures, including our children’s horse program, variety of riding programs and horse riding lessons, hit the desert hiking trails on foot or mountain bike; or enjoy our resort tennis courts, resort fishing, swimming, dancing, playing, creating, watercolor painting, and learning in the desert nature center. We offer a diverse menu of daily programs and activities. As on All-Inclusive property, all scheduled activities are included in your daily rate.

The Nature Center

The Sonoran desert is one of the world’s most vibrant landscapes. Because of the severity of the climate, both plant and animal life have evolved unique survival adaptations that are fascinating to study and appreciate while taking one of our daily guided nature walks. Our desert nature center provides a close-up view of some of the less approachable desert fauna such as spiders and snakes.

Lodging

Tanque Verde Ranch offers a variety of ranch resort lodging options, each richly appointed and warmly decorated with southwestern artisanal furnishings. If you are looking for a warm, inviting Arizona ranch lodging experience that combines the spirit of the Old West with the amenities of today’s luxury—you’ll find that our accommodations provide a restful and inspiring environment for your stay. Traditional adobe walls and Santa Fe style architecture perfectly match the beauty and distinction of the natural southwest landscape. All rooms come with full private baths, and most with fireplaces, and expansive views of the desert and mountains. Don’t miss the opportunity to spend time at one of the largest and most memorable Arizona dude ranches in the country.

Heading to Tucson? Looking for a unique alternative to traditional Tucson lodging? Tanque Verde Ranch Resort offers a comfortable and inspiring Tucson ranch resort stay. Rates are nightly. Call today for reservations.

Tanque Verde Ranch has something for everyone. After visiting the spa during the day, while the children are actively engaged in horseback riding, swimming, crafts, fishing, hiking, and nature education, maybe playing a game of tennis, relaxing in the evening sunset, participating in chuck wagon dinner and entertainment for the evening with the family, you have finally had a vacation, too. Everyone needs some time to relax, meditate, and regain their stamina to move forward in life once in awhile. Tanque Verde Ranch provides the perfect opportunity for families to enjoy vacation time together.

Your toddlers will have an abundance of memories from this vacation. They will use these experiences for their daily role playing activities. What better way to encourage creative playtime than with our Wild West Collection. The Wild West Toy Box by Levels of Discovery shown below won Third Place(2009) in the Baby and Children Favorite Product. This Bench Seat with Storage Toy Box has a nostalgic western town seat back design that includes a sheriff’s star finials, a “Good Guy” & “Bad Guy” on horseback and Toy Store doors that open and close. The lid has a slow-closing metal safety hinge. The Wild West Table and Two Chair Set has a western ranch tabletop design with a horse stable storage box, including a wooden “Good Guy” , “Bad Guy”, two buildings, and stagecoach toys for hours of hands-on fun! The chairs feature “Good Guy” and “Bad Guy” seat backs. Your child will spend many hours acting out the activities he saw the ranch hands performing at Tanque Verde Ranch. Go to Sassybabyfurniture.com to view our Wild West Collection and the other furniture pieces that come with it.

Kid’s Development: Shared Parenting

When two people decide their marriage is over, the hardest part is the effect on the children. Many couples stay together for the sake of the children; while others realize, for the child’s sake, separation is the only way; and then other couples never consider the children. They think only of their needs, expecting the children to survive. It is not the act of divorce itself but the process involved that determines its effects on children. The emotional impact of divorce on a child’s development in the early years of life can create problems in childhood, adolescence, and adult life. As the child matures, their personal and interpersonal behaviors are involved, such as:

The ability to create deep and enduring love relations
The strength to tolerate the imperfect satisfaction of personal needs
The attitudes and desire to cooperate with others
The motivation to learn and work

The paths these behaviors take are set in the early years of life by the quality of the attachment bond with both mother and father that are established during this time. (Dr. Peter Haiman) The ideal situation for any child is to live in a two-parent home where the parents love each other and the child. However, statistics show that a child in a happy single parent situation fares better that a child living in a home with constant fighting and bickering.

Separation Anxiety

Considerable evidence now documents that most infants form meaningful attachments to both of their parents at roughly the same age (birth to 7months). (Kelly & Lamb, 2000) This is true even though many fathers spend less time with their infants than mothers do. The infant may come to prefer the parent who takes primary responsibility, usually the mother, for their care; but this does not mean the relationship with the other parent is unimportant. A child may begin to develop separation anxiety (Separation Anxiety, 2010) which is a normal phase of development beginning with mobility at around 8 months and intensifying from 12 to 18 months. But with added turmoil or stress, the child may experience intense emotions when separated from either parent. They don’t understand the concept of time and don’t know when the parent will return, so there can be a lot of crying and resistance. To be separated feels like torture or a profound loss. To get over their separation anxiety the child needs to:

Feel safe in their home environment
Trust people other than their parents
Trust that their parents will return (Separation Anxiety, 2010)

Infants and toddlers need to maintain contact with both parents on a regular basis. Extended separation from either parent is undesirable because it causes undue stress on developing attachment relationships. Both parents need to interact frequently with the daily routine care of the child (feeding, playing, diapering, soothing, putting to bed, bathing) to ensure that a strong relationship is developed and strengthened. If these relationships have been disrupted at this age, it is hard to develop parent-child relationship later in life. Instead, it is considerably better for all concerned to avoid such disruptions in the first place.

Overnights with the Nonresidential Parent

In the past child development research focused on preserving the mother-infant attachment within one home, while overnights with the father were forbidden or discouraged. Research today shows such recommendations did not take into account the child’s need to maintain and strengthen relationships with both parents after separation. A child thrives socially, emotionally, and cognitively if the caretaking arrangements are predictable and if both parents are sensitive to the child’s physical and developmental needs and emotionally available. (Kelly & Lamb, 2000) Staying overnight with the nonresidential parent provides crucial social interactions and nurturing activities, including bathing, soothing hurts, and anxieties, bedtime rituals, comforting in the middle of the night, and the reassurance and security of snuggling in the morning after awakening, that 1-2 hour visits can’t provide. If the child has his own bed and space in each home; he will feel more secure with a schedule that is predictable and managed without stress in each place. To be responsive to the toddler’s psychological needs, the parenting schedules adopted need to provide opportunities to interact with both parents every day or every other day in a congenial manner for the sake of the child. These everyday activities promote confidence in the parent while deepening the parent- child attachments. In addition, regardless of who’s the primary caregiver, a meaningful father-child relationship at this age may encourage fathers to remain involved in their children’s lives forever. The child will benefit from the extensive contact with both parents in their lives with shared parenting. Shared parenting is about co-parenting. (Edward Kruk, 2002) This means treating the other parent as an important part of your child’s life. These experiences provide children with social, emotional, and cognitively stimulating experiences to succeed in their education, work, and personal relationships in life.

Dr. Peter Haiman, P. (n.d.). Protecting a Child’s Emotional Development When Parents Divorce. Retrieved July 5, 2010, from The Natural Child Project: http://www.naturalchild.org

Edward Kruk, P. (2002, March 5). Shared Parenting After Separation. Retrieved July 6, 2010, from Fathers for Life.com: http://fathersforlife.org/divorce/kruk20.htm

Kelly, J. B., & Lamb, M. E. (2000, July). Child Development Research to Make Appropriate Custody and Access Decisions for Young Children. Retrieved July 5, 2010, from Separted Parenting Access and Resource Center: http://deltabravo.net/custody/child_development

Separation Anxiety. (2010). Retrieved July 5, 2010, from Google Health: https://health.google.com/health/ref/Separation+anxiety

Separation Anxiety. (2010, July 5). Retrieved July 6, 2010, from Kids Health.org: http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/separation_anxiety.html#