I am very fortunate that I get the opportunity to travel a lot and much of the time I get to bring my family. In my opinion, having a vacation or even a short break together as a unit is key to staying tapped in and relevant in each others' lives. However, one of my favourite kind of trips is the Mother/Child vacation. I have had the opportunity a few times to travel on my own with just one of my children and seeing your child outside of the sibling relationship and family dynamic is a huge opportunity to get to know them on a deeper level.
Recently my 12 year-old son and I were able to go on a press trip together to beautiful Beaches Boscobel in Jamaica. Now, if any of you have tweens or teens you will know what I mean when I say that getting their undivided attention for any length of time is nearly impossible at home. With the distraction of friends, school work, technology and extra-curricular activities life kind of gets in the way. However, my son left all of these distractions at home and we were travel buddies for a few days!
Me and my boy.
And really, often happiness is just a boy, some buddies and a ball.
And as far as adventures go, check it:
But his all time favourite of the whole trip - the catamaran ride. Sailing out to sea, snorkeling in the middle of nowhere, dancing on deck. While I stayed back feeling seasick just thinking about it my boy enjoyed the high seas!
The best part is we got to hang out and chat, just the two of us. In fact, by the end of the trip, I had had just about the perfect amount of togetherness and we were both ready for him to get back to his gang of buddies. What a great gift it was to have a little time away from the everyday stresses!
A whole vacation may not be possible but maybe as part of a family trip or even just lunch can give you that togetherness. What do you do to get a little time one-on-one with your kids?
Recently my 12 year-old son and I were able to go on a press trip together to beautiful Beaches Boscobel in Jamaica. Now, if any of you have tweens or teens you will know what I mean when I say that getting their undivided attention for any length of time is nearly impossible at home. With the distraction of friends, school work, technology and extra-curricular activities life kind of gets in the way. However, my son left all of these distractions at home and we were travel buddies for a few days!
Me and my boy.What I love about these trips is that we not only get time just the two of us but that we can customize the trip just for him because there is no one else to consider (except me...). My son's two biggest loves are sports and adventure and Beaches did not disappoint. One of his favourite things, and a fabulous offering for anyone over 10 or so, is that golfing green fees at the local Sandals course are included. My guy did a morning of junior golf with the pro and got some great tips on his swing.
Now that's more like it!
Run 7,843. Seriously...hours of fun!
He also LOVED the waterslides. Especially the vertical ride!
Run 7,843. Seriously...hours of fun!And really, often happiness is just a boy, some buddies and a ball.
Ball tag on the beach.
Ball tag in the pool.
And as far as adventures go, check it:
Slide ride at Mystic Mountain. The thrill! The view!
But his all time favourite of the whole trip - the catamaran ride. Sailing out to sea, snorkeling in the middle of nowhere, dancing on deck. While I stayed back feeling seasick just thinking about it my boy enjoyed the high seas!
Looking for sea life on the catamaran.
The best part is we got to hang out and chat, just the two of us. In fact, by the end of the trip, I had had just about the perfect amount of togetherness and we were both ready for him to get back to his gang of buddies. What a great gift it was to have a little time away from the everyday stresses!
A whole vacation may not be possible but maybe as part of a family trip or even just lunch can give you that togetherness. What do you do to get a little time one-on-one with your kids?
Sigh, it looks so heavenly!
As a single mom I rarely get to spend time alone with either of my daughters, but once in a while the stars align and it will happen. My older daughter babysat until 11:30 last weekend, and my younger girl and I got to stay home and cuddle on the couch watching a movie. It was blissful, bicker-free time!
Your trip sounds wonderful, Jen! Looks like a gorgeous resort with so many fun things for kids. One-on-one time with each child is so precious. I try at least once a week to have at least 1 hour alone with each child. On Mondays my girls go to ballet and my son and I have a weekly date at Starbucks. We have "our table" and it's something I look forward to each week. When my 3 kids are together, they fight ALOT. It's nice to get them out of that cycle to a space where we can actually communicate.
It looks like you had a great time and it is a rare treat to have your tween's undivided attention! With four it is so hard to get alone time with one child so I make a point of taking "sick days" and I take one child out of school for a day or afternoon a few times a year and we go to a museum, art gallery, or just hang out together. It is nice to see what exhibits interest that child rather than always have the entire crew going to everything together, and usually following the lead of our demanding youngest son. Teachers may not like it, but taking time off school for this kind of time together I think teaches us so much more than those missed hours in a classroom.
Great post, Jen! I too love the chance to have some undivided time with one of my children.
just awesome! now...i'm sure your daughter has been asking when it's her turn :-)
Gorgeous - both of you.
I think it's wonderful that you're able to get away and do this kind of thing, Jen! Maybe when my kids are a wee bit older, we can look at doing such mini-vacays with our family... terrific!!
I love spending time with just one kid! Once in a while I find I just want to hang out with mine over a brunch, an afternoon at an art gallery whatever. But A vacation is a great way to get away from everyday and a chance to reconnect! Great quality time together!!
My kids are still pretty young....my oldest is 6 and we go on ice cream dates. I have done this since I had my daughter 3 1/2 years ago. It was my way of making him feel special and Daddy's way to have one on one time with "the baby". Now with 3 kids it is a little more difficult but I still try to do ice cream dates and girls only dates. Hopefully as they get older will continue this traditions. It is a blessing to have one on one time with each of them.