It’s been a month that we have returned from the awesomeness that was the trip. An 18 day trip to Paris and Salzburg was only in our dreams. I feel as if I’m still recovering from the high it gave me. The girls have almost finished their travel journals but I still need to give them some boxes to put in their memorabilia from the trip. The little souvenirs they bought from the various places we visited and rocks we collected from the Salzburg salt mines. it was THE most amazing trip we had. It was the first time they were both on such a trip. I wasn’t sure how A would be as the trip involved a lot of walking and Paris was all about waiting in lines, but she was amazing. She would keep saying I’m the leader. Follow me but tell me where to go 😄.

There was so much practical knowledge they got. They learnt how to read maps and figure out public transport. Which bus/subway we need to take, from which stop/platform, do we need to change, where are we going. Changing lines in the Paris subway and identifying the directions on the trains. Papa had given P the responsibility to write down our cash expenses everyday. She had to write down and tally the cash every few days. She did it diligently the first few days but by the end of it there was a difference which we couldn’t figure out 🧐. But it was a learning for her. More or less we figured how much we spent in which category.

But you know what the most amazing part of the trip was? The way the girls bonded. I had never imagined that this would be the outcome of this trip. I was initially thinking I’m going to have a tough time, as A is so clingy and she wants me to do everything for her. But P took over with full enthusiasm. She made sure A ate, bathed and slept and kept entertained while I had to cook 3 meals. She wanted to help me at first and even tried. But I think that keeping A was a much bigger help to me than helping me cook. I didn’t mind cutting and chopping and peeling and cooking that much because I could do it peacefully and not A nagging at me to bathe her or sit with her while she eats or entertain her.

Starting from the plane, they sat together and luckily we got a couple of empty seats in the neighbouring row all times so Papa and I could sit together. They got 3 seats to sleep on and the even watched the movie together on the in flight entertainment. We stayed in apartments everywhere so the kids’ beds were always in the living room. I had gone prepared that I will have to sleep with A in the living room everyday as she still sleeps in my room and half the night on my bed. But I really don’t know how P convinced her to sleep with her in the living room. They both slept in there through the trip and not once did A complain. And the biggest outcome…. Once we returned, they started sleeping in their room! After 12 1/2 long years, our room is now free of the kids beds! We can talk in normal voices after the kids sleep and we get all the privacy we want 😜.

Apart from this it was just they way these 2 were actually starting to look forward to spending time with each other. Earlier P dint make that much of an effort to play with A. But now she always wants to entertain her. If she gets grumpy, P is the one who will do something funny to lift her spirits. A wants to hug and kiss her all the time and looks up to her differently than she used to. It’s simply amazing the transformation we have seen in these two. Just praying that they keep it up and grow up this way 🤞🏻

We do underestimate our kids sometimes. They surprise us in ways which we don’t imagine. We should really learn to trust our children more. Give them the credit they deserve and give them a chance to bring out their best. We must give them opportunities to learn and gain practical knowledge. It will help them not only gain academic knowledge but also teach them life lessons which will last them a lifetime.