| This is our thing |
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| Written by OHmommy | |
| Monday, 10 November 2008 19:00 | |
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Even the most mundane of tasks can be a great learning experience for young children and their mothers. Walking through the O'Hare terminal with three kids proved to be just that. "Gate E2 is going to Phoenix." I announced. Fifi was in the stroller while Jay held onto the left handle bar and Lola onto the right and we raced through the crowd of hurried travelers. "Check." Jay confirmed. "Check." Lola repeated. "Gate E4 is going to New York." "Check." Jay smiled. "Check." Lola too. "Gate E6 is going to Dallas." "No check. Where's Dallas?" Jay asked as he watched in awe as the group of men in huge boots and cowboy hats congregated around the gate. "Texas." "No check. But. We should go to Texas one day." Lola stated dreaming of ponies, I am sure. "Gate E8 is going to Florida." "Check." "Check." By the time we reached E14 that was headed for Cleveland we had checked off nearly every destination. In the last 12 months alone, my children have been to Mexico, New York, Chicago, Paris, Poland, and Chicago again. "You guys are very lucky kiddos." "Why?" "Because not everyone travels as much as you guys do. There are some kids that have never been on an airplane before." "I would be so sad." Jay looked up at me. "Yeah. I would be so sad too Mama." "You wouldn't be so sad because you wouldn't know what you are missing. You guys like to travel because it's like our hobby. It's what we do." "We are lucky." "So. Where is our next vacation to?" "Texas?" I sat on the plane watching my children devour Doritos and I realized that I was slowly turning into my parents and my children turning into my siblings and I. I remember the excitement of saving money in a communal family piggy bank before our Guatemala trip to see the "alfombras" of Antigua. And the excitement of planning out the logistics of our Machu Picchu trip. I remember the impromptu decision my father made on our European road trip when we decided to turn right and visit Venice instead of turn left for Budapest. Traveling. It's our thing. People assume that traveling equals money. I guess, it does. My father brought us to America after working alone as a contractor for 12 months in Chicago. He finally earned enough money to pay our way in cash. After just a couple of weeks in America, as immigrants, my father worked long hours on roof tops to afford some time off. We took our very first vacation. Because, it was our "thing." Months later, my sister and I, answered each doorbell selling my father's book while he was on top of roofs and my mother cleaning wealthy people's basements. We traveled some more. Years later, my mother drove around all of Chicago in stilettos selling Polish Christmas wafers out of her trunk to afford my trip to Spain. Arriba, Salamanca! THAT was the best summer ever. It is totally our thing. I am grateful that my parents realized that the world is such a small place and instilling in me that traveling is easy and accessible and possible. You don't have to have millions to see the world. You just have to want it. Really bad. Like selling wafers in stilettos and cleaning basements. "So. Where is our next vacation to?" Lola asked when I tucked her exhausted body into bed this evening. Stay tuned, because it is "our thing." |
