A Very Proud Mum

Last Tuesday was a public holiday and no school, so after gymnastics and homework, I said the girls could have a full on Mac Donald's treat, the works even ice cream and lemonade. Oh the excitement. We ate in and watched people outside. Lily of course did not get her happy meal finished, so she decided to take it with her. As we came out from the underpass, a wee gypsy girl, probably about 3 was laying on her blanket with her little container for money. As the girls stopped to give her money, she asked for Lily's happy meal. Lily told her no and carried on up the street . A little way along the girls stopped. They had together decided to give Lily's fries to the little girl. Molly went back and in Georgian asked the little girl if she would like them. I said to Lily that was a really nice thing to do, her response " it doesnt matter Mum, I can have them another time", so proud of both the girls.

From our time living in Tbilisi and with opportunities to see other countries and cultures, I often think about all the great reasons for for travelling with your kids.

Tolerance and Patience: every where people are doing the same things in different ways. They eat, dress, celebrate, drive, wash, clean and work. By learning to respect, accept and embrace these cultural differences the girls will hopefully learn to become more tolerant and patient of others. Well this is what I am hoping for. We just have to remember this and model appropriate responses (especially when driving)

Education: what better way to learn but through travel. As a teacher, I find it hard at times to remember how much learning is getting done outside of the classroom. It's hard to let go of what is considered the norm, 9-3 routine of school, after school activities, concerts, prizegivings, sports events, the worry about my child not achieving the 'standards', the list and the worry goes on and on. But who says this is the right way. My mother always used to say "just because everyone is doing it that way, doesn't mean it is the right way'. So as I take a breath and step back, I can see the lessons the girls are learning when travelling. When we guiltily pull them out of school to travel I need to remember the lessons in science, geography, history, culture, language, lessons in money when they have to budget and convert currencies. I realise how much they have learnt when Lily tells me about what the Effial Tower is made of, who it is named after and how many steps she had to climb to get to the top and that all that singing she heard when in Istanbul were people praying to their god.

Bonding: during our travels there are often glimpses of the girls taking care of each other, helping each other and watching out for each other. Don't worry, its not always sunshine and roses there is also alot of thunder and cacti, as they fight over who has the window seat on the plane and who's turn it is to pick what's for dinner, but in general they have fun with each other, laughing a lot and often ganging up on us.


Opportunity: we hope that travel will expose the girls to the millions of different opportunities of the world, be that new interests, careers that have never been thought of and new people and their cultures.

Life Skills: I often have a fleeting thought, that life has got really hard for children growing up. Social and media, electronics, peer expectations, higher education expected. I feel that because of all these expectations, kids don't have the time or knowledge to do basic day to day things or they just can't be bothered as we have let it slip. Is growing up hard or by giving them their own electronics, instant access to knowledge thru google, slip on shoes, GPS, instant meals have we made it easy for them........ They don't need to make up there own fun, learn board games and cards, they don't need to visit the library or open a dictionary, they don't need to learn to tie their shoes laces, read a map or turn on the stove. What happens when there is no power, will they starve to death while trying to read the map to find there way to the library to do there homework. Yes a little extreme I know. I am hoping from their experiences the girls will know where in the world different countries are before they study geography at collage, that they will be able to read a map to find their destination, to pack light and to be on time. I hope that they will realise the there are children of their age around the world that have to cook, clean, do laundry and look after brothers and sister, entertain themselves with made up games. I want them to realise that there are basic life's skills and these are what is needed to survive.

Truths: we all have preconceived notions about different people, their country and their culture and the only way to find out the truth is to 'go and find out'


As I think about the past year, how fast it has gone, what we have done and what's ahead of us. The laughter and the tears, the frustrations, the anger and the joy, the times the girls have talked about what they miss and the new things they love. I am aware of how much the girls have grown and changed over the year and all I hope is that the girls will grow into confident young woman who will see the the world through there own eyes..