Adventure or Vacation

A friend told me that she started thinking of travelling with children more like an ‘adventure’ in order to help with the expectations of the flight and the ‘vacation’. It now makes a difference in how I experience not only travel but also everyday elements of parenthood.

I am not here to talk about tantrums or motherhood. I’m here to talk about the use of language on our perception and experience of the world.

Before having kids one would go on holiday, have a vacation, often implying to have a break from the routine and work, to rest, explore- to do something different. Once you have kids, a vacation is a very different experience (unless one goes without them). If one travels with kids thinking, expecting or hoping to have a restful vacation like before then it is likely they will be greatly disappointed. (Now at this point one can argue, especially as this is a piece on use of language and meaning, that it depends on how one defines rest and vacation?!)

A similar approach is used in hypnobirthing. In Hypnobirthing one is invited to use the word ‘waves’ to illustrate the coming and going and flow of a contraction during birth. Now, although I love the visual of a wave and I find it calming and soothing, personally I didn’t have a problem with the word contraction. Use of words can therefore be subjective as we can attach meaning, weight, and emotion to them. Using the word adventure when thinking of traveling with kids, helped me change gears, add an element of playfulness, and let go of certain expectation and likely make it a more pleasant experience for everyone involved.

I once read an article about how people experience and talk about winter depending on the country they are from- the author wrote that rather than ‘enduring winter there is a need to experience winter’. Another shift in perspective, another path to try (for someone who loves summer) to make winter interesting, fun and enjoyable.