In the past few months, we’ve had a number of family and friends share their concern that our travel will cause long-term emotional and psychological damage to our children. The concerns shared with us include the difficulty of making friends (especially long term friends), and a sense of ‘not belonging’ caused by not having a single place…
Several months ago, in the middle of research and planning the basic logistics of this adventure, The Lord reminded us to have courage. There are many things about this adventure that were unknown to us before we started. I’d never owned a truck, and though I’d driven a few, I had never, ever attempted to…
Months ago, I backed a KickStarter project called Robot Turtles, a board game designed to teach kids fundamental concepts of programming. I had been thinking about using programming as part of our home school curriculum, and this was a great place to start. We received Robot Turtles just before Christmas, and it was one of…
Every once in a while, some life event sneaks up on me and suddenly brings me to terms with my age. In September, my oldest daughter Rachel turned 8. I was suddenly reminded that yes, I was old enough and had been married long enough to have an 8 year old child. Turning 8 is…
Hi, Just came across your site and I have enjoyed reading your stories. I have a wife and 4 kids and we full time in a fifth wheel. Although we don’t travel as much as I would like(cause I don’t have time to stop and smell the roses) we do seem to get around. So far my work this year has sent from ND to UT to SC to OK and next month TX then finally stay the winter in Laramie, WY. Burrrrr why can’t they send me south in winter and north in summer?
Anyway, Its nice to read about other mormon families doing the same thing we are. You have a good way of writing about the gospel and I enjoyed it. Its funny how we become missionaries when traveling and we don’t even realize it. My wife and kids have gotten out of there comfort zones on several occasions to share the gospel with people they meet.
Thanks for sharing your life.ReplyCancel
Milestones in life have a way of causing reflection, and today is worthy of a look back. 10 years ago today, Jess and I were married in the Mount Timpanogos Temple in Utah. We have some funny dating stories, but I want to start my story there. After just 4 months of marriage, we packed…
I think the fact that you are doing it because you saw that it was drawing your family closer together is a good thing. The opportunity for your kids to learn to make friends quickly is a skill that will bless them all their lives. I also really like that you don’t have a predetermined date for when you will be done traveling. This allows you to continue to travel until it is right for your family to change to something else that serves you all better when that time comes.
I moved a lot as a kid. I went to three different schools in the third grade. My struggles weren’t from the changing schools, but the instability at home. My parents were divorced and my mom moved around to get work. She married again and divorced and married again for the last time. All my parents, step and biological, struggled with their own major emotional issues that affected us.
That’s the difference. You and Jess are creating stability through your healthy marriage. You have routine and habits and rules. Your children feel a deep sense of belonging to you instead of something more ephemeral like friends or location. I think I would have preferred a stable family than a stable location.
Thanks for sharing this Cassie. Your sweet girl is in good hands!
We’ve had similar conversations…and have posted some entries in the area as well:
http://boyinks4adventure.com/our-travels/but-what-about-friends/
http://boyinks4adventure.com/our-travels/being-that-family/
Thanks for the links! Both your posts are well written and insightful.
You shared your thoughts into words beautifully. These are good reminders as we may move around a lot.
If you can turn a move into family-strengthening event, then everybody wins!
Thanks for writing this. We also get these questions and your response is exactly how we feel.
It is comforting to know we are in good company! Your travels have inspired us.
Tyler and I wonder if we’re damaging our children by NOT traveling. Do they live in a bubble? Do they have any sense of the world? Then we think, they’re little–there’s plenty of time for that. Your kids are young, they aren’t in a friend-dominated stage of life yet. We are so jealous of all the adventures (just the good ones) you’re having. I think this will be nothing but good for them. And like you point out, if it stops being good for them, you’ll be the first to notice.
Thanks for the note Kristen – I actually laughed out loud at this one. Though we love Lehi, Jess and I are in part motivated by the bubble effect that exists.
It’s all about what your kids need and when, and I’m sure you’ll find the right thing at the right time for them.
We never had anyone express concerns to us, only supportive comments like, “What a great gift to give your kids! They will never forget this.” However, we were only at it for a year. Now that we are finished I can honestly say it truly did give us a stronger sense of family identity and drew us even closer together. I can echo what you said about how quickly kids make friends in a campground and how much more attentive we became as parents. There is just something about being all crammed into 360 square feet for twelve months…
Thanks Jenni!! Yes, most people don’t bat an eye when you tell them you are taking a year off to travel the country. Its the undetermined end date that gets us. We’ve seriously considering just not bringing it up at times. 🙂 How’s re-entry going for you guys?
Thank you so much for sharing this! We too have had concerns from friends and family members, and you put it so well that I’m going to refer them to your post for answers 🙂
Every time we travel with kids we get so much closer to each other, more peaceful, happier, and so in-tune with each other. Once we are home – gosh – so many distractions! I absolutely agree with you that traveling creates a very strong family bong and everything else that was mentioned in this post.
Eve – thanks so much for your comment!