There’s this phenomenon when you first have kids…
… “I can’t wait till we can go on vacation… ALONE”, say Parents.
My husband Patrick and I took said vacation to Hawaii when our first child Parker was about fifteen months old… and while we would probably not admit this to anyone (maybe not even to each other)… we had fun… but something was missing.
“Oh sure”, you say. “You missed him like a new parent would, but you know it wouldn’t have been as much fun with him there”.
Well I’m not so sure about that.
We traveled with Parker to Michigan and to Boston (for work) for months at a time when he was three to six months old, and two and a half to three, respectively… and we had a BLAST. In fact, I think we might have experienced, pushed ourselves, and actively engaged in “more” BECAUSE he was there.
That’s the dirty little secret.
These little balls of excitement push you with their zest, their curiosity, their love of life and all it has to offer…
And what about (as my good friend Stacie Krajchir and hubby call it)… “Freedom Warrior” time for mommy and daddy?
Well we always manage a way to find time for that too (albeit in the form of a solo surf session or beach run vs. midnight cocktails).
So with Parker now four and our second child Avery now almost fifteen months… we ended up back in Hawaii, kids in tow, to tackle a vacation “family style”… and it was un-f***ing believably good (excuse my French)!
Were the flight (5.5 hours) and drive (1.25 hours) a barrel of laughs? Not necessarily…
… but the work was worth the reward.
We chickened out on what some would say would be more adventurous locals… but we needed to dip our toes into the kiddie pool first, so to speak.
A big thank you to Turtle Bay Resort for making our adventure so sweet! There’s more on our Hawaiian adventure to come… but to everyone who thought we were a little nutty for taking this on…
a little “nutty” is exactly what this family needed!
I’m honored to share this post today with Tropic of Capricorn, the most amazing travel site for families, run by Erynn Montgomery, mom of FOUR girls! Please check them out for travel tips and inspiration. You’ll want to grab your kids and hop on a plane STAT.
Stay tuned for Part 2… Sunrise Surprise… to find out why waking up with the sun (at least while traveling) ain’t so bad…
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