I alllllwwwwwwwaaaaayyyyyyyssss have my kids, well my spouse and I do. If you see us, you see them. Yeah, that can be somewhat irritating (everyone needs a break), especially when we're away on business and I'm juggling those mommy + work hats, but it is rewarding also. My children are learning first hand from their father and I, they see us working together, performing, communicating with individuals we work with etc. so there are some perks. Recently, we traveled to Senegal West Africa for the Holidays (business + pleasure) before we could get to our destination we had to first rent a car to New York (plane tickets from Columbus to New York were RIDICULOUS) then we caught a flight from New York to Dakar, Senegal- a 7 hour flight! So let's get this straight, we drove 8 hours to New York and then flew over the Atlantic Ocean for another 7 hours (round trip!) AND I'm still here, still standing, everyone's alive, we made it! I don't know if you have kids but for those that do, show me some love!!!! #DABonem'
Let me say this before I get started. If you can, book travel when you're kids are typically sleeping, we left Columbus early enough that my kids slept 60% of the drive and when we flew to Dakar, Senegal we boarded the flight at 8 p.m. -they were knocked out and when they woke up they watch movies provided by the airline but when those things failed, I quickly did this:
1. Snacks. Kids will pull the, "I'm hungry card quick" so as to not panic or pull over every hour, we came prepared. I packed healthy snacks, because sugary snacks make them hyper and that defeats the purpose- no one wants a hyper 6 year old in a mini van or in seat A5 on a South African Airways flight. Anne Anne's organic products are great, they make everything that my kids love but organically- shhhh they don't even know!
2. Toys. Thank you toy companies (that's all). No seriously, kids need to hold something tangible when they are bored and because they have no concept of time when traveling after the first 30 minutes, "Are we there yet? NO." When in doubt pull out Spider Man or the American Doll and let them hop all over the seats and windows or go to the Salon for the 300th time, it's no sweat off of your back. More than likely that will tire them out for nap number 3 (hopefully)
3. Electronics. When all else fails, pull out the tablet and let your kids play games, "Happy Kid, Happy _______?" (fill in the blank) Tablets are mobile nanny's. I know all of the discussion about tablets, the pros and the cons, but 8 hours in a car and 7 hours on a plane? REALLY! STOP! #letmebegreat we definitely went there AND airplanes now come with charging outlets #WINNING
4. Books. Some kids enjoy reading books and others don't. My kids definitely have a love affair with books, especially while on vacation. What I do enjoy most about books and kids is that it is educational and it allows them time to sit in their own silence. Silence!
This by no way means that my children were complete angels while on this trip, I still felt the need to pull out my sew-in (many times) but those moments were far and in between. My children were doing what they knew to do, they tried to stay seated and relaxed but our travels were long so I can't complain too much. Cheers to the parents who live similar lives as we do, traveling with a tribe is not easy but definitely memorable and worth it!
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