I felt like this was an appropriate topic to write about this week. It’s been a few weeks since my last post, but for good reason. I recently had my 3rd little nugget and took some time off to recoup and rest up. With 3 kids, one who recently fractured her foot, my 14 month old who runs around like a wild man and a 2 week old baby, things are interesting to say the least at our house and to be honest, i’m not sure how much “rest” i’ve actually had.
I always have found it interesting how some people don’t want to travel or don’t think you should travel with children. Don’t get me wrong, My husband and I still enjoy our trips alone or with a group of friends without our kids, but I love traveling with my children. I love seeing the excitement of kids when they get to experience something for the first time. It could be their first plane ride, or first time eating alligator, or seeing the ocean. These moments I wouldn’t trade for anything.
I’m a firm believer that children are far more intelligent than people give them credit for. Giving children opportunities to see and hear and smell new things aids them developmentally. My daughter has a quilt of a map that she looks to for everything. When we go to the library, she will always check out one book that has to do with a destination that is on her “bucket list” (I may have created a monster after seeing my daughters bucket list) This no doubt is a byproduct of traveling. Traveling also shows children that it is OK to try new things. That could be a new cuisine or experience. We took my son to Colorado when he was 5 months old. He loved being outside and hearing the dirt bikes and side by sides roaring through the campground. He was completely mesmerized by them. My daughter has made friends and even had a pen pal in Canada after she met a girl at the water park on a cruise. Traveling has allowed them to meet people that we’d never interact with here in the plains of Kansas. Lastly, traveling shows them that there are places that are meant to be explored and adventure at every turn. I would much rather invest money into experiences for my children rather than possessions. All in all, it does take a tremendous amount of patience when traveling with children, especially small children, but the benefits far outweigh the downfalls.