I recently upgraded my computer, and had to group my thousands of photos into some form of organization. I scrolled through photos from our wedding, of our kids when they were little, of places and people that I have not visited in years. One thing that stood out to me was what was involved in those photos. Travel, and lots of it.
We are a tight-knit family, and we do as much as possible together. I never quite understood the families that would send their children away to Grandma’s for their long school breaks. They are missing out on prime time! You have those beautiful, sassy kids 24/7 and will learn everything about them that you need to know, and in record time. The trick is to act busy. No one ever needs to talk to you if you look like you have the time!
We almost always travel by car, as we love a good, long road trip. Driving is perfect for catching up on all of the developments in their lives. Put down the phones, the iPads, laptops, and take out the headphones. Talk. About everything and anything. Don’t worry about whether it’s a subject that will interest them or not. They learn from listening, and they may surprise you with what they know. Sometimes they will just listen in on the conversation, sometimes they answer or comment. We talk about things we find interesting, and encourage them to add their views. I can’t tell you how often I have been floored by a comment one of the kids made into a seemingly adult conversation, that was so profound, so timely, that all conversation stopped to consider the new information. Talk about feeling important. Smiles all around.
My oldest are on their own now, and my husband asked one of them recently what they missed the most after leaving home. It was vacations. The go-go-go of travel, hiking, seeing everything we could in a short time. But, what was missed the most, was just experiencing it all, together. Being able to say, remember when?
A memory is what is left when something happens and does not completely unhappen. ~Edward de Bono
