Turns out, we were quite right, we have the most bored little girls in town now that we are back… Nothing is good enough for them, going to the same place twice in a row is deemed the uttermost boring thing to do… Hiking in the National park in our backyard is sooo déjà vu… Biking the same trails, forget it! Oh well! We better leave again soon and never stop traveling because once you have well traveled kids, ordinary life doesn’t quite cut it!
Of course, I am half-kidding... but I have to say that one might wonder if this is a good thing or not. However, I must say that I suffer a bit from the same syndrom. I myself find going to the local beach 3 days in a row a bit boring (where the water is not as warm as Costa Rica, not as blue as the Florida keys, the sand not as white as in Tallahassee... and of course, no waves. Actually, the first time we hit the lake, after months of being by the sea, the girls exclaimed: Mama, the waves are really little today! Oh wait! That's a lake... That was funny!
We are not in exploration mode anymore, we are in filling time blocks mode... I spent my evenings searching blogs for inspiration on activities to do with them, interesting outings, etc. Aisha is the one who is having the hardest time since we have been back. Most of my ideas for things to do simply don't interest her. She wants to be on an adventure everyday. She asks for new things, new places to see... What a challenge! The other day she was bored to tears and said: I just want to be in a canyon right now!
I think it's a question of rhythm and movement more than the places themselves and what they have to offer. Your girls seem to now be accustomed to moving around a lot. My girls are quite the opposite. Spending so much time at home, after only a few days of travelling they begin to feel tired of it. I also think that the "travelling life" is as "real" as any other life, it's a way of living, a reality, although perhaps out of the ordinary. It is indeed an extraordinary way of life that you have introduced your girls to. I look forward to following your future adventures.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really good point, Sarah. I think there is also a question of temperament. Even when we lived on our farm, our girls also loved going on holidays and traveling.
ReplyDeleteN'as tu pas de belles choses à découvrir à l'extérieur de chez toi ? en partant à pied ou en prenant la voiture ? peut être que cela pourrait les contenter (parc, rivière, amis, faire du vélo, ...)
ReplyDeleteSinon En France nous avons bcp d'activités pour les enfants pdt les vacances scolaire, encadrées par des animateurs et avec d'autres enfants (sport, camps, cheval, art, ...)
Je suis sûr que tu vas trouver ce dont chacune de tes filles a besoin et que tu trouveras un peu de repos.
Bon courage ma chère catherine
Isabelle, mes filles ne veulent pas faire de cours ou de camps... Je respecte leurs désirs et m'efforce de trouver de belles activités près de chez nous, mais ça ne les contente pas vraiment... Enfin!
ReplyDeleteNo, you don't "accustom your kids to real life" because real life can be whatever we create it to be. Your girls are missing their "norm" which just happens to be the opposite of most (smile). I'm not sure what our norm is.
ReplyDeleteOur kids have loved our mountain home. The skiing, the river, the animals etc. They are happy here (though they want more friends) but they are also really happy when we travel. They don't ever ask to come home when we're away (smile). That's usually because being away involves such fun and interesting activities and new people or visiting friends.
Maybe your idea of home will change in the coming years (smile).
Renee, I have been thinking about what you wrote a lot today. Once again, you have given me words that are helping me bring even more awareness on how we all feel. We are missing our norm. Yes, of course. It will take a while to recreate a new norm after a year and a half of traveling... I like things to move fast. We are back, I have recreated a routine and keeps wondering why it is not working... but our idea of home is changed... Thank you dear friend for your amazing insight!
ReplyDeleteC'est certain que si leur mère qualifie (et aborde) elle-même la vie sédentaire comme étant "ordinaire et ennuyante", il est fort probable que les enfants adoptent la même position. Voilà une excellente stratégie pour initier des enfants au snobisme et à la prétention. C'est l'émerveillement au quotidien qu'on devrait transmettre à ces derniers, plutôt que la dependence à l'exotisme. Si le Bonheur ne reside pas dans la simplicité, il ne sera jamais permanent.
ReplyDeletei think it isn't a matter of ordinary vs extraordinary. your girls are probably simply becoming preteens: that age when interests and the world outside family life become increasingly important to them.
ReplyDeleteCatherine,
ReplyDeleteforse non ho capito o forse non l'hai scritto? Come mai siete tornati a casa? Scusami, non voglio essere invadente e chiederti cose personali. Solo per capire: avevate la necessità di tornare? E' stata una scelta? Temporanea?
Grazie, ciao
Federica
Catherine,
ReplyDeleteforse non ho capito o forse non l'hai scritto? Come mai siete tornati a casa? Scusami, non voglio essere invadente e chiederti cose personali. Solo per capire: avevate la necessità di tornare? E' stata una scelta? Temporanea?
Grazie, ciao
Federica
Anonyme, je comprends ce que tu dis et je crois qu'effectivement, après un an et demie de voyage, je trouve le retour difficile. Je me suis sans doute mal exprimée, car je ne trouve pas que notre vie quotidienne est ennuyeuse et ordinaire. Ce que je voulais surtout dire, c'est que je trouve que mon travail de chef de famille en cette période de transition est de justement rendre notre quotidien intéressant pour elles et de ne pas simplement avoir l'attitude que je vois souvent autour de moi de dire aux enfants : ennuyez-vous, c'est bon pour vous!
ReplyDeleteFrancesca, yes, I think you are very right, preteens... already! I think I don't want to see it!
Federica, we came back because we still have a house in Quebec that we rent for a year while we were away. We wanted to come back to see our family and figure out our next step (sell the house and leave for good? Maybe... it is my personal wish, but I want to make sure that we are all on the same page... ). We'll see!
I had to chuckle because my two young children are NOT interested in going to the beach in Maine after spending a year cruising and winter in the Bahamas. The water isn't turquoise, the beaches are not sandy enough, and they can't see the bottom. But that was their adventure and reality.
ReplyDelete