Family Vacations Are Gifts To Kids, That Keep On Giving!!!

"Nothing as long-lastingly memorable as shared moments!" When i was a kid we didn't get to travel much. There weren't even visitors! There was too much tension in the house, that we used to beg visitors to come see my dad, for some breathing space. My dad was so bent on 24/7 education. Read, read, read! 

I became so versed in playing football, even in the midst of my dad's strictness. He knew i had this talent and sometimes he had caught me playing football and had stayed there snuck-up on me, to watch me and he has kept mute at times. I would go home thinking i am dead but he will keep mute still. 

My dad has changed much now!

 I love the guy like crazy and the shared moments, nice and tough are paramount factors. Those tough moments, those down moments, even those; are special and stuck. We replay these moments and this waxes love strong. 

It is utmostly more about who has been part of our story. Forget sex! It is one shallow stuff except, if it has lovemaking in it and what is love making? "It is sex with the good and bad shared moments in it". 

Ps: The above is safe for work!

Instead of buying your kid a giant Barney, save up and go see the real Barney. If you don't know where it is, look for it. Disneyland perhaps! 

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Times spent in vacation with kids is always a win win. Kids want to know, that it is not about books or being flawless all the time. They want to know that a measure of flaws are allowed. They want to see your let-loose side; that ice-cream dripping from your mouth or you, staining your shirt because you have let some rice stew fall off your spoon and onto your white shirt. 

"Ofcourse, they know that you err and break your own rules, sometimes. They only keep mute. Kids of these days especially, they can be smarter than you, on some days".

Hurray! "The Getaway".

When i was young, an impending getaway was dead precious. We would see our parents as heroes for making it happen and we wouldn't sleep all night, for morning to come and lead the way to Paradise. If afterall, we woke up and our getaway was cancelled; "it was heart-shattering". Well, our parents will find away for pacify us, with food at home or toys or perhaps, ice-cream and though we were young and would finally bring ourselves to calmness and forget our sorrows as now there are toys, we kept wishing it was a getaway instead.

A child clinical psychologist Oliver James; highlights the effect of a family getaway on a kid, compared to a new toy. "Basically, a kid will get bored by toys within weeks, regardless of how fancy. However, family holidays, stay instilled in the kid's memories, both within the moments and long thereafter; making it more valuable in the growth, development and overall well-being of the household'.

Oliver James tells The Telegraph. "It's all about those casual and playful moments, where they are allowed to joke, jump, laugh with parents, sharing an ice cream, muffle up a cake and it is in these playful moments, that they genuinely pay attention to the interests of their parents"

In general, there is no doubt, that spending time together as a family is the preferred alternative, to revealing a giant Barney in front of your kids and letting them be.

But it also goes a little bit beyond the above. Indeed, a family road trip may actually develop and enhance a kid's brain development. Based on a study done by neuro-scientist Jaak Panksepp, published in Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, the PLAY mechanism (capacity to play) and the SEEKING mechanism (explorative urge); are areas of the brain, that are exercised when kids find themselves in new places. 

NB: ("The first man, Adam; named all the animals". He must have put into this action, by the vast span of Earth, that he had before him to seek out and explore!) 

These aspects of a kids brain, situated deep in the limbic system, mostly stays dormant, when kids stay at home and are sparked into life when a child has to do new things as a result of new environments. 

Too, a flurry of neuro-chemicals responsible for well-being are released!

As described by The Telegraph, the released neuro-chemicals, reduces stress and activates warm, generous feelings,  Applied towards one another and combined with presence of loving family members in this valuable getaway; there comes a lovely sense of feeling, especially amongst kids, that all is well in the world, thus, creating the perfect atmosphere for kids to get emotionally refueled. 

I didn't get to travel much with parents. My parents had the most loving intentions and where the very best parents but the hustle and bustle of life, relegated vacation.

I will change this in my generation. "So kids everywhere, be ready!" lol.

Yes, like was in my case, it may constitute a hurdle for some families, to take that week-long getaway. In reality, not every family can afford vacations every year etc.

But keeping consciously in mind, how much your kids want it and long-lasting its effects are in the development of your child and on the love in the family, as a whole; will help! 

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Infact, spending money on experiences makes you happier than spending it on stuff and this the case, for both kids and adults. An experience could be as simple as exploring a local forest preserve, walking the dogs, going to see a game live, cooking a new meal together, molding a snowman together or building a bird-house together. 

Your backyard can become the beginning of week-long get-away!

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