This is one of those things that my friends who have only one child don't understand.
But when you have more than one child, finding time to travel with each child individually is a gift -- for you, for your traveling partner and for the parent and children left behind.
I was reminded of this during a week-long odyssey in southern California with my 14-year-old daughter. We spent hours in the car driving from Los Angeles to San Diego and back again. We bonded over mishaps with the GPS, the shared luxury of a mother-daughter pedicure and the temporary joy of spending a few days free of fart jokes and bathroom humor.
Meanwhile, back at home, my hubby and son were basking in their temporary bachelorhood and bonding in their own way, which no doubt involved a plethora of farting, belching and other guy grossness.
As a travel writer, I am blessed with many opportunities to travel. When the kids were younger, that usually meant trading off--my daughter would join me for one trip, my son the next. Now that my son is in high school, he believes he pays too high a price for missing his honors classes, so he is no longer willing to drop everything and hop on a plane. My daughter has become my regular traveling companion.
I realize that not everyone can travel several times a year. With precious little vacation time and precious few vacation dollars, most families travel as a family unit. We do that too, and I wouldn't miss a family vacation http://www.travelingmom.com/tipsproducts/tips/1746-flying-with-the-family-airplane-travel-tips.html
But l urge every parent to consider at least one individual trip with each child. I know of one woman who plans a trip in celebration of each child's 13th birthday. It's a way to cement their bond as her kids stand on the cusp of their teen years.
She takes each child to London for a week. But the trip doesn't have to be such a grandiose adventure. How about driving to a resort for the weekend? Or taking the train into town for an overnight hotel stay where you order in a pizza, turn on HBO and hunker down for a night away? Better yet, ask your child what he or she would like to do. If it's doable and within the family budget, take that trip to see the world through your child's eyes.
It doesn't really matter what you do. It matters that you do something. Leave your traditional familial roles at home (for me, that means closing my laptop; for my kids it means turning off the cell phone) and concentrate on building memories.
I know one mom who thinks her kids would see it as choosing favorites so she thinks it's wrong to travel with just one child at a time. I think it's wrong not to.
