Entries Tagged 'travel' ↓

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The night before I was leaving for San Francisco to attend the BlogHer Conference, my kids broke down, urging me not to go or, better yet, to take them with me.  They couldn’t bear the thought of my being away for so many days.  They made the point that I had never been apart from them, so it was unbearable to even imagine.  I expected them to miss me a little, but they’re responsible, confident kids.  I didn’t expect a complete meltdown.

Whoa.

I was thinking something more like this:

You know?  Bloo, not blue…

I wasn’t sure how to react.  Over the years, I’ve learned that it’s always best to remain calm and resist any emotional reaction to anything our kids tell us.  So I breathed deeply and just listened to them.  I thought that if I just gave them a little time to share whatever they were feeling, they’d feel better.  But the tears kept coming.

So I gave them hugs.  And more hugs.  And loads of sympathetic words.

I reminded them of other trips I took with some of my girlfriends.  They quickly replied, “But those weren’t as long … and those were in the same state!”

Okay, well, yeah…

More tears.

Yikes.

At that point, I felt like crying.

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Walking around the streets near Columbia University in Manhattan on a beautiful spring day, I stopped abruptly when I saw the sign. It said “Tom’s Restaurant” on one side of the building and “Restaurant” on the other. I stared for a moment or two, then grabbed the arm of another chaperone and said, “Wait. We have to stop. Do you recognize that place?” As soon as she saw it, she knew.

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The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
with conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
a mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame,
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
with silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

- Emma Lazarus

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and, yes, in case you were wondering, my daughter took this photo on our recent trip to NYC.

… on a Monday morning.

When I mentioned to many of my friends that we were spending spring break in San Francisco, I was met with quizzical, curious gazes and statements like these: “Oh, well, now that’s interesting. Let me know how it goes.” Okay. Sure.

We started with a relatively painless plane ride to sunny CA. My son was lucky enough to snag the window seat, so he took a photo of the clouds.

Flying with school aged kids is really not bad at all. You’re past the baby stage, when you’re wondering whether you’ll get evil stares from judgmental, intolerant passengers if your baby makes so much as a peep. You’re also past that toddler/little kid stage where you need to have snacks, beverages, toys and books ready to go to entertain the little people and you have to worry about bathroom breaks. I’m happy to say that, by this age, they can entertain themselves (especially with today’s cool technology gadgets and in-flight movies). They downloaded very different selections (DS – football highlights, DD – Suite Life of Zack & Cody episodes) but so what? Whatever makes ‘em happy. Here’s a view of DS’s tray table:

(DS took this photo, too). It shows his mini Munny that he created during the flight as well as a few other items that kept him busy.

DD, meanwhile, was fascinated by her soda can:

Upon arrival, you’d think I’d be most interested in this:

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Ahh, vacation. A time to relax, unwind and bond as a family.

Right?

Not always.

In the past, I used to make charts and timetables of what we would see and when we would see it. I used to spend weeks researching details about our travel destinations and make as many reservations as possible for dinners, shows, etc. Now I look back on that time, smile and think, "Wow, did I ever overdo it!" Control freak? Um, yeah. I’d say so.

So, over the years, I’ve really tried to lighten up. While I acknowledge the usefulness of the charts and schedules, I don’t think you can effectively vacation that way as the kids get older. When kids are little, they follow you anywhere and do so without question. As they get older, however, they start to wonder why they’re going where they’re going and often lobby for different destinations (especially when they’re on vacation).

When the kids want more of a say in the itinerary, we parents have a few options.

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