“Let’s go see what there is to see in the big world!” my dad would say to me as a child. And off we went, even if it was to a day trip to west Texas’s Davis Mountains or Big Bend National Park. My parents were both seasoned travelers, having visited Spain, Portugal and Jamaica. My dad traveled through Europe while stationed in the Army, and all of his trips were well documented on old-fashioned photographic slides – preserving his special memories forever. My dad believed we learn so much from traveling beyond our town – about people, places and ourselves. Adventuring away from home helps you discover things you never knew you might be interested in.
So was only natural that when my twins arrived in 1995, they too would know the urge to just GO!
I have taken my now 18 year old kids, Kate and Garrett, on lots of trips over the years, big and small. Our goal is always to experience variety and the spice of life.
My favorite trip with the kids was visiting New York City in the summer of 2011. We hit all of the famous museums, attended musicals, and of course, we couldn’t miss watching the Yankees play the Red Sox! Both kids had gone on school trips to NYC back in middle school and came to love the city experience. We hit all areas from Chinatown to Midtown and parts in between.
I like to involve my kids in helping plan our adventures. My son loves good food, so I let him look up all the places we should check out from a dinner in the theatre district to finding just the right pizza joint. Thanks to him, we stumbled upon what are now some of our favorite restaurants in New York City.
I smiled as I watched the twins walking ahead of me through Central Park on a beautiful June day during the trip, talking and laughing together. I thought of all of our great trips and adventures, wistfully realizing that in a few years, they would be off to college. My daughter looked back at me, as if to make sure I was still there behind them. I knew at that moment that both of my kids will be glad we had these adventures together – the three of us exploring our world beyond our own little corner.
I hope that all these amazing memories we’ve made together will make them hungry to travel and have new experiences for the rest of their lives. They’re off to college soon– and armed with smartphones instead of photographic slides, they’re ready to go see what there is to see in the big world – just like their mom and granddad before them.
Molly Postnikoff is a 15 year employee of J&J in October of this year, and works for Janssen Biotech as a Senior Executive Oncology Sales Specialist. She is a sixth generation Texan and a mom of two.