World Travel: 10 Ways it Shapes Your Children For The Best
My Son only steps away from the Central Pacific Ocean. The World at his feet!
Life does not stop when you have children. Life transforms. Its up to me to decide what shape my life takes, and its up to me to raise my children with a broad worldview.
And as the old adage goes….”There’s a Whole World Out There!”
Why should we stay put here in our cushy little comfort zone when life calls to us to be and to grow? In taking our kids travelling, there’s so much more than relaxation and a tan to be gained, though I admit that escaping winter ain’t a bad perk either.
Here’s why I travel internationally with my 6 children, and 10 benefits they gain from it.
1. My children are growing up with a firm footing on this planet, and experiential knowledge that nature is sacred. I want them to know what a jungle smells like and how a palm leaf feels. I want them to know that dirt, not concrete is the real ground.
My daughter meeting new friends at a Central American Agricultural Fair aptly named Festival Nacional de Las Mulas (Mule Festival)
2. My children know that the English language and Western culture are only one way of living.
3. Foreign languages tickle their ears like a familiar song. They meet peers from different cultures and learn deeply about humanity.
4. I endeavor to teach my kids that experiences are more valuable and gratifying than stuff.
5. I hope to equip my children with the tools to seize life, and live it with passion. I want them to know that venturing outside their comfort zones is good, and normal and required to find one’s way in life.
6. I desire that my children will grow up to think critically and see through the plastic, and technology and urban padding to something real, and tangible and raw and alive. I believe that exposing them to multiple cultures provides perspective for living.
7. I’d like for my kids to know a way of life that is less dependent upon competitive achievement and more concerned with being part of a community. Experiencing different cultures showcases this.
My son and I feeling dwarfed by the greatness of a rain-forest giant Almendros tree.
8. In travelling the world I hope to inspire my children to realize their responsibility toward stewardship of the Earth according to their own passions and talents.
9. As they watch their parents live outside the status-quo, my kids are learning that anything is possible. Coordinating a trip around the world and discovering the unknown, models and cultivates adifferent kind of courage and responsibility than we are familiar with in our Western culture.
10. They get a break from the break-neck pace of school/extra-curricular/home-work, which reduces the stress levels they don't even know they're living with, improves their sleep and digestion, and sets their internal pace back to something more natural and healthy.
All in all, I can't recommend taking your kids abroad more highly. Where there is a will there is a way. Learn more in the coming weeks as I post more about the ins and outs of traveling with family. And if you have concerns about safety and logistics, check out my post
Passion For World Travel But is it Risky For Kids? for more insight.
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And....I'd love to hear wisdom about world travel with children, as well as your unique expereinces. Please leave a comment below.
Mari-Claire Watkins is an Intuitive Philosopher, Engaging Speaker and Tarot Card Expert. She writes, reads and lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and 6 children.
Mari-Claire is available to read Tarot and speak at events all over North America.