Travels with the Children
We have had a busy summer. Busier than the past two, and definitely the busiest since having two. It feels like we’ve been on the go more than we have been still. Once I made the decision to leave my job to spend more time with the kids, I knew I was embarking on the endless summer. And it has felt that way at times- in both great ways (we can stay at the beach for FOR-EVER!) and the not so great ways (I am going to lose it if we don’t go home IMMEDIATELY). We’ve spent tons of time with family and the kids have pretty much trekked coast to mountains, though with a Piedmont break in-between.
This is a break-down of what I’ve learned from traveling this summer, and things that I think I can apply in the future.
- It’s not going to be easy. Matt and I used to be able to make it from home to the mountains in under four hours with a stop if needed. We listened to podcasts and I napped. It was lovely. Now it seems we are stopping a lot more. Someone’s crying (could be all of us crying), someone didn’t use the bathroom at the last stop, someone’s hungry/thirsty/angry.
- Prepare to step into cruise director mode. Since both kids still take rest times and one naps, I had the idea of traveling during those times this summer. I thought that would give us our best shot at getting some distance between home and latest destination. It’s a great idea, unless it backfires. Then it’s a terrible idea and you hate your life. Thus, you step into cruise director mode, offering Bingo on the Lido deck, snacks at noon, two, and four, and a variety of stories, songs, games that you have just made up. Anything. The important thing to remember during this is to never show your fear. Keep it light and happy and hope that they go to sleep. Expect lots of questions about how much longer the trip will take.
- Plan for yourself. Don’t forget to pack snacks and drinks that will make you happy, too. Last time I tried to read, and that was a fail, but La Croix helped. A lot.
So that’s the physical travel piece, but there is a another piece to the joyous puzzle that is “summer vacationing”. I put that in quotation marks because I think of vacations as relaxing, and really, I have yet to go on a trip with children that has been relaxing. You’re doing the same things you would normally do at home, but in a strange environment with little sleep.
Once you arrive at your destination the question always becomes, where are all these little people going to sleep? This is somewhat optimistic (I mean, obviously they aren’t reallly going to sleep, but it’s fun to set up beds with pillows and blankets and pretend for a little while. We recently slept in the same room together for the first time. Would you like to feel better about your own little families?
Night 1: We arrive and have a big family dinner. It’s lovely and everyone is having a great time. Because naps were so short, everyone is exhausted early. We do our normal bathtime routine, our normal bedtime routine, and tuck baby 1 into bed. Next we prepare our daughter for bed with a couple of stories, and explain that she has to be extra quiet because her brother is sleeping. We walk upstairs, she goes into the room and when he yells “Mama!” and jumps up and down, she looks at me and says, “He’s not sleeping. You said he would be sleeping, but he’s not!” Brother continues jumping up and down, and we pretend that isn’t happening while tucking her into bed. Hugs, kisses and we close the door. Back downstairs to turn on the monitor only to find that she is telling him to lay down. Hilarity ensues as he sings, dances. Sister tells him to lay down, that he is disturbing her rest (literally, the quote is, “Lay down! You are disturbing my rest and I need to close my eyes!”) He ignores her. Their aunt and uncle offer to go in. We let them.
Things get a little confusing once they enter the room. We watch on the monitor as they seem to be chatting, and – wait, are they picking up the toddler?- yes. Yes, he is now free. There is more chatting, a little singing, our oldest catches her aunt and uncle up on everything she has done since she was born. They return downstairs, smiling contentedly, remembering their own days as curators of sleep, then tell us what we already know. That our babies are not only not sleeping, but currently very happily awake and ready to hang.
Night 2: I leave for an overnight educator seminar, so I get great sleep. I don’t even ask what happens at the house while I’m away.
Night 3: I’m still away! I sleep for 8 hours! Straight! Then drink coffee! Hot! This is incredible!
Night 4: I’m back, and realize that things are not much better than they were night 1. But we’re only here for a couple more nights, so we are going to live through this and HAVE FUN! THIS IS FUN!
Nights 5 &6: There is no reason to continue discussing it here. I hoped to have a revelation of how to sleep in a room with your whole family. My revelation was this: Laura Ingalls Wilder. How did anyone build anything more than a sod house on such a small amount of sleep?
