My One-On-One Trip With My Kid

Earlier this spring, my oldest daughter (I have three girls), requested a special mother-daughter trip.

I am no stranger to travel. I almost always have an upcoming AirBNB, hotel, bus, or plane reservation, at the very least a road trip on the books. I love traveling solo, with friends, as a family, and especially solo-mama-daughter trips. So when my darling first said she wanted to take a special trip with me, I jumped right on it.

I would be remiss if I did not explain how my husband and I partner to make our full lives happen. He is all-in the same way I am. To his credit, he is on top of who needs a lunch packed for a field trip, who has a school project due soon or when the next dentist appointment is scheduled as well as I do (sometimes better). He also knows how much I value travel and supports this because he, too, loves to take special trips. Recently, while I was visiting a best friend in the Philadelphia area (with my three girls), he was in Louisville experiencing the Kentucky Bourbon Trail with a close friend. We know time away matters just as much as time together, so we make it happen by rearranging schedules, taking PTO from work, and getting creative with car seats (and budgets).

So, where to go? After experiencing a “for the kids” trip to Disney, I knew I needed a destination I would be interested in, too. I love checking out new local gems with their own culture, eating yummy food, and just wandering around to see where the wind blows me.  After asking my local network of friends for suggestions on where to go, we landed on the German Village/Short North area of Columbus.

Taking time out from our busy lives to pause and soak up some solo time with my daughter is super special and something I do not take lightly. As the mother of three young daughters (7, 5, and 5 years old), I know how important these formative years are with my girls.  They will not always want to spend a weekend away with me, or even acknowledge we are related. So while they are asking for special time together, I am happy to oblige.

Moreover, one of the most challenging parts of motherhood, for me, is giving my girls enough attention. What does “enough” mean anyway?  There are times I think they will only be happy if I glued them to my body. Anyone who has suffered through sad crocodile tears at drop off for school, camp, day care, or an extra-curricular knows what I’m talking about.  This is not a dialogue on being a working mom or stay at home mom.  Even if I stayed home and home-schooled my three little ones, they would still clamor for more of my attention. But, I am honestly not cut out to stay home with my kids. I love being a working mom.

I used this special trip to mark the occasion of my oldest finishing the first grade. The car was packed and ready to go the night before. As soon as she got off the bus as a brand new second grader, we headed south to kick-off our special trip together.

It was two nights away and a full Saturday with sight-seeing, riding the free C-bus in the Short North, eating yummy food and staying up WAY later than normal. It was great.

Here are some of the things I loved about this trip from a mom’s point-of-view:

1. Taking care of one kid is very different from caring for three (read that as WAY easier)

2. My oldest loves sleep as much as I do, so I skipped the early morning 5-year-old human alarm clocks coming into my bedroom (hooray for truly sleeping in!)

3. Conversation flows easier when you are not competing with two sisters for attention

4. Decisions were made easily and quickly because only one opinion mattered. We didn’t have to “take turns” and my daughter got to choose everything according to her liking. She picked the music in the car, restaurants to eat at, books to read, places to visit, etc.

5. It feels really good giving all my hugs and full attention to one kid (for a brief period of time)

Now her little sisters have each requested “mama-only” trips, too. Knowing them all too well, I said, “Ok, do you want anyone else to come along?” As if on auto-pilot, they each separately said, “I want my twin sister to come, too.”

Life with identical twins has many special quirks and unexpected twists and turns. They are individuals, but also have a love for each other I will never be able to experience for myself or as their mother. How can I understand coming into the world with your best friend right next to you? Nevertheless, this means a special mama-twins trip is on the books!