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Part of the travel experience is embedding a sense of curiosity in my children.
The other part is the family bonding. Within that is the bonding I have with my kids, but I think more of it may be facilitating the bonding they have with each other.
The experience of discovering the new (together), of dealing with unfamiliar and sometimes frustrating experiences (together) and of shared moments is the mortar that, I hope, will cement the relationship of my kids for years to come.
I remember reading an article many years ago that, when all is said and done, it is your siblings who are the ones who know you longer than anyone else.
You (hopefully) outlive your parents.
Your spouse and kids meet you later in life.
But it is with and through your siblings that you can go back and investigate the beginnings of your personal story.
I thought about this as I watched Kohlberg/Tikkanen and Kravis/Jokinen playing on the slides and see-saw at the Gan Sacher park in Jerusalem for over an hour.
We had nowhere to go and, thanks to the fact that my cell phone data plan was really expensive, I was able to be EXTREMELY present in the moment.
So, while Roberts/Lakkanen and I were playing, I was able to just watch them from afar, laughing, playing, enjoying life and time away from the day-to-day, building those bonds that will last them a lifetime.
