Preparation

How does one prepare to travel for a year? There are endless blogs and opinions out there; however, I find I am learning a lot about how we roll as a family. Most definitely I am a HUGE fan of organization. Having said that, I am rather laid back about packing etc at this point. Kelly and I were excited about the opportunity to involve the boys in a more concrete fashion as we planned to stop at Mountain Equipment Co-op for rain gear and luggage. We had priced out options before hand, looked at quality and tried to compare with other recommendations as to our best purchases for the dollar. This is where we were reminded that our expectations and dreams may not be matched by others in our family.

When we first entered MEC, all was rosy…the boys were excited about rolling bags around and trying out different backpacks. This lasted for about 10 minutes as the bag testing quickly turned into something akin to roller derby-so we regrouped. Then it was off to the footwear department. In the first image, all looks good, and it was-for 5 minutes.

Anderson tries on some new hiking shoes.

Ethan’s non verbal communication is rather clear.

The joy continued on into the rain gear section where I had to have a little time out before I became one of “those” parents. It was during this time that Kelly and I realized we would need to be aware of how we projected our ability to understand the abstract concept of world travel with the boys’ awareness of the immediate. I have a feeling that this will not be the first time Kelly and I have to come to grips with our expectations being at odds with the response of our children. But then again, this is something many parents face. It’s interesting to consider how we respond in the face of it.