Traveling with small kids isn't easy, but it's important

I just returned from a whirlwind family vacation. We traveled to New York City and New Jersey to visit family. This is a time-honored tradition, having made this journey many times since I was a baby.

I have warm, fuzzy memories as a child, and I hoped to give that to my children.

Although it was wonderful to spend time with my family who I rarely see, my kids’ behavior was less than stellar.  I partially blame myself.  Usually, I do a lot of prep work to help my kids feel prepared.  We watched the Disney vacation video for months before we departed for the Happiest Place on Earth!

But before our big trip out out east, I did not prepare these delicate suburban babes for the amount of walking they would have to do in the Big City, nor did I tell them there were no houses with lawns in the city.  Yes, I failed in this department as they looked bewildered at the skyscrapers.

I think they just didn’t know quite what to make of all the differences.

The fact is that traveling with kids is not easy.  However, it’s totally worth it because I feel even though they struggled being outside their comfort zone, they saw a different way of life that they have never seen before.  They were able to see that people don’t get in a car and drive to the grocery store.  People walk everywhere or take public transportation.  They were able to see that a home is not only a house; it’s an apartment on the seventh floor.  Traveling, even at the tender ages of three and six, helps to broaden their horizons and understand there is more to life than what is in their own backyard.

That’s why I won’t give up on traveling with my kids.  We may have struggled, but the memories more than make up for that.  And now traveling is easier sans a portable crib, diapers, and sippy cups.

I can’t wait for our next adventure  – as soon as I regroup from this one!

What do you think of traveling and family vacations?