LET’S TRAVEL WITH OUR KIDS!

TRAVELING is very much a part of our family. Aside from it being a time for family bonding, for creating memories, for rest and recreation, it’s a GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR TEACHING. Exposing our kids to different places and cultures teaches them so many things. From simple things as how sand feels like, how sea water tastes like, to more complicated matters as how to behave in certain places.

When we arrived Singapore and went through immigrations, Danae was so hyperactive! She couldn’t stay still because she was so excited. She just could not contain herself. The immigrations officer had to tell King to “tell your child to stay put” as she would move past the counter. How embarrassing! But at least we got to teach her that rules need to be strictly followed and that things may be different when you are in another country. They have different rules and different ways, which she must adjust to and comply with.

Danae also had a running commentary on everything! Like I said, super excited. She would point to an Indian woman and tell me that she’s Indian because she saw “that round thing on her forehead.” She would tell me that certain people were “ching chang chia,” trying to say that they’re Chinese or that they’re from another country. I had to remind her that it’s rude to point and blurt out anything that she notices. I had to remind her that people there (or anywhere) may respond differently than what she’s used to here in the Philippines.

I could go on and on about what we had to remind our girls about, but my point is this. LET’S TRAVEL WITH OUR KIDS! Whether it’s to another country, another city, another town or simply to a friend’s house or the supermarket! They can LEARN so much from the EXPERIENCE. Sometimes just thinking about taking our kids with us and all that it entails already stresses us out, but LET’S NOT ALLOW OUR FEAR OF BEING INCONVENIENCED TO DICTATE our decisions. It can be stressful and tiring, yes. That’s the reality that we need to learn to deal with. I’ve been doing this ever since Danae was 2 weeks old, but trust me, I’m still learning to this day. But I’ve also learned that we can actually ENJOY it and it’s almost always WORTH IT.

Tomorrow, another adventure awaits our family. All four of us are going on Danae’s field trip to Subic! It’s not our first time to go there as a family, but it’s our first time to ride a bus going there. It’s Noelle’s first time to ride to go on a field trip, and therefore Danae’s first time to bring her sister along. It’s our first time to travel on a bus, on a field trip as a complete family! Yes, it’s costly because there’s 4 of us, but the school gave us (and everybody else) terms to pay and time to save up. If you think about it, it’s a good deal because we’ll be going to Ocean Adventure, Zoobic Safari among other places, plus King doesn’t have to drive or pay toll. We couldn’t resist! More memories, more bonding, more recreation, and more teaching moments! 🙂