How to create traditions with your children

I have been sharing my life as a parent for over eight years now. I’ve shared about being a first time Kindergarten mom all the way to being forced to become a baseball mom. As I continue to fly this ship as I build, one thing I really try to be more intentional about is creating my traditions for my own family and making memories.

I had a great childhood but I can’t say that I remember a whole lot of pivotal memories. I had them I am sure but I just don’t remember a lot of them. I remember going to school and being an avid reader but I don’t have memories of the first time I went on a plane or the first time I went to the beach. Well, that’s not true. I remember almost drowning when we took a trip to Corpus Christi’s beach. Add that to my list of things to unpack in my next therapy session! Ha!

I want my children to have true memories. Things that I reflect on in their adulthood and can recall the details. That’s why making sure that Zavi and Zara are travelers is important to us as parents. I want them to know that there is a whole big world out there outside of the confines of Houston and I want them to see as much of it as they can.

Over the past few years, a few of my church friends turned family have decided to own the Spring Break tradition of traveling to a new destination together. Our kids are all around the same age except for the two teenagers. We plan a year ahead and the intention is to do it as long as we can.

In the past two years we have chosen a destination then rented an Airbnb that can comfortably house 13 people. Remember my Destin, Florida post?

This year we went to Las Vegas, Nevada and The Grand Canyon. Two families come from Houston and the third family travels from Tennessee. We look forward to fellowshipping and our kids running around having a ball while we play games with adult beverages. Over the past two trips, I’ve learned a few things that you might find helpful if you decided to create traditions with your own family and/or friends.

Pick one place that is a priority on every trip. Visiting the Grand Canyon was a priority for the group while having a Spa morning at my favorite hotel on the Vegas strp was a personal priority for me.
Remember that Airbnbs are fun but also require work that may not sound so sexy aka buying groceries for the week, meal planning, laundry, etc. It has advantages because it’s one big sleepover but let’s just say that every day may not feel like a break. Next year, we’re going to an all-inclusive resort.
Do not go overboard with planning activities for the kids. Kids are simple. They want a pool to splash in, junk food and to stay up all night. You don’t have to waste money going to every tourist attraction. Pick one place to go that requires you to site see/experience new things.
Plan ahead. Preferably a year ahead – that way the trip will be completely paid in full by when it’s time to leave. Next year we are going to Mexico. Possibly Tulum and we are already looking into resorts and flights so that we can get the ball rolling.
Plan one day where you go absolutely nowhere. Enjoy the hotel or the Airbnb amenities. Getting a space with a pool or a firepit for making smores will be what the kids will remember. That’s usually the day when we grill and let the kids run wild. The adults can enjoy laughing, catching up or playing some games. Some of our faves are Heads Up and Kulture Cards.

Experiences over everything. Take a look at our visit to Vegas here.