Most of my favorite memories of life with my son are when we are traveling… this morning I sent an email to a friend about why I love travel – and then realized I should blog this same paragraph to share with you! Here is what I wrote to her:
I am in Minnesota for a week. This morning, my son picked sweet corn from the field, tomatoes from my mom’s garden, rasberries from the backyard bushes – and was dirty from head to toe with the best appetite for lunch I have ever seen.
What an education for my son. I asked him if there was a man selling the corn or if there was a farmers market in the back yard and his eyes got really big and said “NO – I just got it right from here! Isn’t that great?” with a huge smile!:) This makes me love travel…..
Yesterday, we attended the MN State Fair. If you haven’t ever been to the MINNESOTA State Fair – do not even begin to form an opinion. After living in California and attending the county and state fairs there, and talking with others from other states, I realized that the fairs in MN are something unique.It truly is an incredible mix – from the 4-H barns to the home improvement buildings and midway and the food – everything imaginable on a stick – and over 100,000 people in attendance daily – it is a special event.
My son received a free (expert fitted) bike helmut from North Memorial Hospital – they give away 700 helmuts per day! He found a toy semi-milk truck from the dairy building – and now “hauls milk” in his playtime.
This is why I love travel. My 4 year old has access to a life he would normally only read about in books or watch on tv – never experiencing the sounds, smells, tastes, and people that make the Midwest a unique environment. I grew up here – but have lived in CA for the past 11 years. It is very very apparent to me the “cultural difference” of life in a CA city compared to a farming community – or even the State Fair in St. Paul.
Don’t get me wrong – I love my life and I thrive in big cities. I love public transportation and hearing 5 languages at the gas station. I appreciate technology and the fast pace of life in California and big cities.
But travel allows me to share another aspect of life with my son. He understands tractors and gardens and cows due to our visits to the farm in MN. For example – this morning he played with a 5 year old farm girl here. I thought they were playing hide and seek crouched down between the couches. She said, “No, we are playing house and I am the mom. We are in our basement because there is a tornado coming.” I smiled as I asked my son what he thought they were doing – he replied, “We are playing hide and seek!” much to the disappointment of his pretend “mother”. I then explained to her that he did not know what a tornado was – because we don’t get them in CA where we live. Then it was time for her eyes to pop – as she had no idea that there could be such a thing as no tornadoes in the summer! I didn’t shock her by also telling her that it hasn’t even rained all summer by us….
So my little preschooler adapts easily and quickly to life on the farm – yet, he can jump on and off trains in London, San Francisco, and Munich in the blink of an eye. By the time he is 4 1/2 he will have been to 15 different countries- having played at parks and with local kids in everyone of them! He sometimes asks me, “Which hotel are we going to today?” We sleep in different hotels at least 4 times per month. We put some serious miles on… and love it.
I realize that our life is on the extreme end of travel – but I feel strongly that travel anywhere outside of a hometown is great education for a child. To realize that not everyone does things the same way – or looks the same – that is powerful. As he grows up he will be less likely to give in to peer pressure if he realizes that different options are available and accepted. He will also be open to new experiences and be comfortable in a variety of situations.
Travel is a gift – and an incredible education for all.
Yes, this is why I LOVE travel and why I live to travel with my family.
Tags: travelwith kids, farms, country life, hotels, education
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