Are We There Yet?!
The Peek Perspective on Travel
Dear parents who are traveling with your herd of children,
I see you.
I see you making sure you’ve packed 5,427 snacks for the plane and/or car roadtrip.
I see you with starry eyes on day one, thinking about your perfect itinerary and magical memories that will be made in the days to come…and then bleary eyed on day 7, wondering why you didn’t book another week of staycation upon your return.
Traveling with kids is not for the faint of heart… and yet it’s where significant personal growth can happen, for all family members. I like to call it a “character building opportunity” 😉
Our kids have traveled since they were babies, and it’s something I always wanted to expose them to early on in life. From international trips to touring our own state parks, I fully believe that:
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” - Mark Twain
But travel does another really profound thing too… we find out who we are at our core, by how we react in different and unfamiliar situations. I’ll share some examples:
Last week, during our time at Disney World, I saw character traits surface in our kids in new ways. Some solidified what I already knew to be true about them, and some were new glimpses of the way they are individually wired.
One child was a lot more thrill-seeking than I had ever realized, wanting to ride every roller coaster and being far braver than I could imagine myself having been at her age. She was the first to chat with strangers and to volunteer for a role in an interactive experience with Disney characters. This was such a surprising and delightful observation for me, as she has normally been deemed as the “shy” sister by other people. It turns out that she’s simply very observant and thrives when put into new situations.
Alternatively, another child who is typically chatty and energetic in most environments, became very reserved in new and unknown situations. It turns out that when placed in an extremely busy and loud unfamiliar environment, she withdraws instead of being energized. She found more delight in the simple rides and attractions than the thrilling ones, so we made sure to offer many options for her in addition to her sisters’ thrill-seeking requests. Again, this was a new revelation, as she’s often been deemed the silly, fun, outgoing child in our crew and in more familiar environments.
Yet another child was her typically cautious self, wanting to make sure everything was done in order and hesitant to warm up to unfamiliar situations. She found comfort in knowing her exact role, so we deemed her the “navigator”… plane ticket holder and distributer, the airport gate finder, and scanner of Disney passes. She also took delight in tracking her steps each day (and comparing them to her parents… competition runs naturally in our family 😉).
All of these observations could surely be made at home, too, under the right circumstances- but a funny thing happens when we leave our comfort zones… our truest versions of ourselves surface and sometimes in new ways!
I also see it in myself too… I learn that I deeply crave connection with people- the person next to me on the plane, our bus driver, our waitress. I want to know their stories and ideas and purpose. Good conversation energizes me to my core. So does the thrill of a good roller coaster…But stick me in a crowded theme park, and I’d just as soon be content to find the exit at every turn, fearing that I’ll be trapped somehow. I can quickly feel overwhelmed when the individual connections are lost and I feel like I’m drowning in a sea of people. Perhaps that’s why my favorite theme park was Animal Kingdom… the least crowded, the most wide open, and room to breathe and connect with my people ♥️).
Knowing these things about my kids (and myself, and my husband) is so helpful in the day to day areas of our usual routines. I know how to better anticipate our triggers and our strengths.
How often do you step outside your comfort zone to learn more about yourself and your people nearest to you? Do you get stuck in the same rhythms and routines in your day to day, maybe even assuming things about your kids’ personalities?
Travel doesn’t always have to be expensive (though it often is). The key is to leave your comfort zone and step out on an adventure. Make a plan, and then expect the unexpected. You never know what you’ll learn about yourself along the way…
“Are we there yet…?!”
-Leigh