have children, will travel
June 14, 2012 § 2 Comments
In my earliest days as a mother I traveled lightly. I left toys and accessories behind embracing unforeseen distractions within new environments. I didn’t dwell on the decision, I made it casually.
As I prepared to visit my mother this past week I realized I had begun packing with the expectation that my children needed familiar comforts; I prepared for boredom and anticipated a need for entertainment. I am not certain when my packing patterns shifted, but conscious of this I committed myself to embracing the challenge of unpacking my assumptions. I began by removing gadgets from their travel bags, giving my children room to explore their environment in search of distractions.
Our first hurdle occurred early in the trip. At the airport gate a chorus of impatient How much longer? was interrupted by a curious toddler tugging at my children’s hands. Soon my children were peering at their surroundings from another perspective, all three children looking out the airport windows marveling at the planes and machinery, brightly colored luggage, and uniformed workers. The minutes passed in spontaneous play with a new friend; the waiting less weighted.
That same day settling in to my parent’s home I let go of needing to keep my children occupied and watched them drift to different corners of the house finding their own distractions. At twelve and seven years old they moved independently in the space safely and curiously, each child reintroducing themselves to old favorites while discovering new interests.
Our vacation days were simple, uncluttered by agendas. Rather than drive to distractions in search of something interesting we divided our days between the backyard and living room. Pool time and board games, books and blank drawing tablets captured my children’s imaginations.
Watching my children work through frustrations and seek out companionship or entertainment without my direction assured me we could vacation with less and gain more. We left behind expectations and uncovered a stronger awareness of ourselves, our surroundings, and each other.
scribblechic 
It is amazing what we can explore when we don’t have things to entertain us. Good for you mama for taking away some entertainment. Our kids’ generation is all about being entertained every minute of the day they don’t know what to do with themselves!
Thanks! In regards to keeping entertained, I find it almost as challenging to model stillness given the temptation of multitasking and the conveniences of technology.