Summer Trip

Since my 6 year old daughter E was off for the summer, I decided to go see my parents and older brother for a while. My 4 year old son C wanted to also come along and it would be good company for the three of us to be together. I usually give my brother a break since he has been living with my parents for the last 1.5 years to take care of them, but he wanted to stick around to see the kids. I was surprised, so we planned to try and meet up as frequently as possible.

Now that my kids are much older than when they first traveled, it is getting much easier. They know what to expect and I can also walk them through things step by step. Being able to explain that they can’t have their backpacks, stuffies, and tablet through security is a miracle and they won’t throw a tantrum at that like they did the first time. Getting through the airport is a breeze and they can even help me when I need it by holding onto things.

We didn’t get to play in the playground before the flight, so I also asked them to take the stairs when we needed to go up and down to different parts of the airport. Apparently 2% of people take the stairs when the escalator or elevator are available, which was shockingly low to me. After my wife told me the stat, I mentioned it to my kids and it motivated them to take the stairs more often.

Traveling was mostly uneventful and that’s a good thing honestly. Outside of fighting for the window seat (C won that battle and agreed E would get it on the way back), I got them set up on their tablets when we settled down on the plane. It is so refreshing to have a calm travel experience and even though I don’t like extended screen time for my kids, this is the one big exception. They love it too of course and I get a few hours of peace and quiet (mostly). We are grateful and content all around.