DadTalk

My amazing children

There is a great line from the film “Lost in Translation” which is something like “your children are the most enchanting people you’ll ever know”. We have just passed the half-way mark of our trip and I have to say a few words about our amazing children.

We have put our children through quite a lot in the last four and a half months. We have covered a lot of ground and done a huge amount of stuff. While there has been moaning and a few hugely ungrateful comments, they have generally faced each new adventure with enthusiasm and excitement. They have got that what we are doing is very special and they are very lucky to be doing it. Whether it is glow worm caves or dips in muddy creaks they have been up for it. They talk fondly about past adventures from months ago.

There has, at least from the children, been no homesickness. They know when we are going home and they are happy with that. Eve misses intelligent female company, but again she is happy to get along with Skype and email friends for now.

They have being amazingly robust; tents in the desert, overnight flights, late dinners, zoos in 40C temperatures, hikes in tropical downpours, all bugs great and small. They have not been actually stoic, when they are unhappy we know about it, but generally their tolerance levels have been much higher than we imagined they would be. They have taken whatever we have thrown at them, with no major mutinies.

We have been realistic about what we can do with three small children, which I think is part of the reason it has been so successful.

My advice to someone planning a similar adventure is that you may be surprised by just how well your children will take to travelling, perhaps even better than the parents.