Concerning Kids – Vacation with a kid

My close friends, Maria and Alex used to travel a lot right after their marriage, visiting different countries, climbing mountains. But after having two kids, their vacations changed. Now, going on holiday was financially challenging for them. Also, interests collided. Maria tried to be a good mother, so she took her kids to museums, guided tours, and medieval castles. And she was frustrated to learn that kids preferred to spend time with dad. What did dad do? Alex took them to a park that was close to a construction site. While Alex chilled on the bench, boys pressed their faces close to the gate and watched how the tractors were bringing the construction material and dumping it or how the construction crane was moving building blocks.

Sometimes fun is a radically different term in kids’ and adults’ perspective. Therefore, Maria ended up with an interesting decision. She spent a week off doing what kids loved to do: a park with construction site, a swimming pool, an exhibition about cars. And later she would take several days off to travel alone with her husband. She had to ask her parents to babysit kids. Of course, she had to bring them some souvenirs from her trip, but that was all worth it as everyone was happy.

Concerning Kids – Why children love disgusting things

20-05-2023

We love our kids and want the best for them. We might invest much in them, only to find out later that they even don’t remember many of those things. I remember my mother’s face expression, when she asked me about specific fun things we did together, and I didn’t remember. She was sad. That is why I asked her, whether she regret doing those things for me if I don’t remember it. No, no regrets. It was a special time for her when she built close relations with kids. She did not do it in order to have projected “vacation outcomes” but because she loved me.

Her way of going about became my example for planning a day trip with the kids. I want to do what they like, even if it is not a “cultural place of interest”, but a construction site. I want to enjoy the moments with them, not expecting them to remember all my investments and sacrifices, but because I love them. And it is okay for me to plan a short holiday without kids so that I also have a chance to do what I enjoy and restore myself both emotionally and physically.

About the author

Anna lives in Kyiv and runs an Evangelistic Children's Club. She is a Children's Ministry Coordinator in Eurasia with the organisation OneHope. Anna studied theology and is a guest teacher at the Kyiv Theological Seminary.