kid hello different languages

5 Ways Raising a Child is Like Traveling Abroad

Traveling to a foreign country is awesome. There are new experiences to experience (yea, I said it), exotic foods to try, historical landmarks to see, and cultural differences to appreciate. But traveling abroad is a lot like raising kids, specifically babies/toddlers, in that it can be a giant pain in the ass. The experience is always unforgettable, but I could definitely do without certain parts.

1. Communication barriers

Perhaps the most common and also the hardest to solve. Unless you can remember your high school Spanish, you’re screwed in any of the Romance language countries. And without some help, any country not using our alphabet is even more difficult (ie. Asian countries, Russia, etc.). Americans are privileged in that most foreign tourists have studied our language. But not us, we just hope (and often expect) others will understand us when we arrive on their soil. And when they don’t, we’re left looking like morons trying different hand gestures, or just screaming, hoping that by raising our voice the words will somehow make more sense. Welcome to having a toddler. Most of the crap they say is gibberish or merely sounds, and they love to point at anything and everything, regardless of whether it has anything to do with what they are saying or not saying. However, given enough time, both parties begin to understand everything – even if they can’t articulate it. Which reminds me, I should probably reduce my cussing.

2. New foods

Always an exciting part of traveling, unless of course you become best friends with the porcelain throne. These days, you can probably hop on Yelp and get a recommendation within seconds, including pictures! But if you aren’t in one of the 28 other countries that Yelp covers, you’ve already done a little research (RIGHT?!) in the 15 travel books you purchased and can usually blurt out something that you at least know the ingredients of. But sadly, there is no Yelp for the whims of a toddler. One day they LOVE your food, and the next they hate it, leaving everything but the grapes. And forget trying new foods. We take enough risks worrying whether or not they will have a public meltdown, fall off the swings, or eat crap off the ground, so why subject ourselves to a potential disaster by introducing new foods? Note to all restaurants: If you have mac n’ cheese on your menu, ALL parents love you!

3. Immunity

The chances you’ve gotten sick while traveling is probably pretty high. From the minute your Uber car arrives, your immune system is under attack. Then you get into a sealed metal tube next to Mrs. Runnynose and Mr. Sneezyface, only to land in an airport that has more foreign germs than a set of blocks at a preschool. A toddler is all of that combined. They touch, suck, and share everything. Sure, it’s cute when they give you a kiss goodnight, until you wake up the next morning feeling as if you’ve been run over by a semi, and still have to work and parent. Our travel essentials now include a daily Airborne cocktail, and our home essentials now include immunity boosting magic drugs.

4. Time Zones

Jet lag can suck. There’s nothing worse (actually, there are lots of things worse) than traveling international and not being able to sleep on the plane, just ask Mrs. FWL. Not only are you bored out of your mind, but when you arrive at your destination, you’re a wreck. Then you have to fight the urge to sleep on the nearest park bench by staying up another full day just to get onto local time, so by nighttime, you’re an absolute disaster. And then, just when you’re body isn’t hating itself anymore, it’s time to go home! Sound familiar? The first few months of parenthood (and many months after for some parents) are like constant jet lag. No amount of coffee can counteract the forces of nature toying with your circadian rhythms, so you trudge along until life starts to become normal, and even enjoyable. And then teething, sleep regressions, and daylight savings time snap you back to the reality that everything can change in an instant.

5. Memories

I love traveling and making new memories. Sure, traveling can be super annoying (like the time on our honeymoon when we arrived at the Venice airport at like 6am to find out that the airline we were supposed to fly had gone out of business and we had to buy a last minute ticket), but it can also be incredibly memorable (like the bed that we slept in that same night in Paris, thanks Mom!). But I would gladly go through the crappiness to experience the happiness that comes with traveling, because it is the good times that I will share with Isabel in the hope that she has the opportunity to travel as much as we have.  Much is the same with parenthood. The good outweigh the bad, and I wouldn’t change anything (well, maybe some things).


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