Folium: When a Dad Takes His Daughter on a Trip via UpWorthy
Folium: When a Dad Takes His Daughter on a Trip via UpWorthy
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Not everyone would agree that bringing your two year old child on a spontaneous trip to the unknown is logical, but Stefen Chow would challenge that notion. He couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take a trip when he found himself with eight vacation days to spare. Stefen says “When I first mentioned this trip to my friends and family, the first questions (and assumptions) I got were ‘How will she get her afternoon nap?’ ‘The child needs her mother!’ ‘This is not normal routine for her; she can do it when she is much older!’” He also mentions that most of his fears dissipated after having been roaming with his two year old daughter for a few days. He didn’t hesitate one minute more after buying his plane tickets promptly after Christmas Eve 2015.
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via Stefen Chow @ Medium
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Stefen though, had a few rules that he set for himself to follow that only allowed him and his daughter to travel (without his wife). The rules were simple. Stefen says he wanted it to feel casual, rugged, and roughly planned. He made it a rule to reserve rooms one day in advance, so it kept the itinerary spontaneous and fluid. He wanted to stay away from bigger cities and wanted to spend isolated time with his daughter and not just go on a usual tourist route. He vowed to keep an open mind and also to allow his little one to dictate how the trip went, too. We ended up cycling along the eastern coast of Taiwan, hung out with baby animals on a farm, went onto the boats of fishermen, chased trains, climbed hills, sheltered together from a storm, and had more giggles than tantrums.
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via Stefen Chow @ Medium
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If you can imagine a trip similar to the trip Stefen took, you can probably imagine the liberty he must have felt being alone with his daughter going exploring (talk about the ultimate play-date). While exploring with his sweet little two year old, he came to some realizations.He claims that toddlers are way smarter, more emphatic, and more understanding than I initially thought. I found that it was far easier to communicate with my daughter using adult language and rationale. We were together in a strange land, and often that put both of us out of our comfort zones. The sooner we realized we were an equal team and needed to depend on each other for moral support and affirmation, the faster the situation improved.
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“On a dedicated trip out there with my little one with minimal distractions, I finally had the opportunity of being a full parent. Yes, I have to change the diapers, feed the milk, put her to sleep, but this is all pretty easy. The great thing is I managed to be a parent and support for her.” – Stefen Chow
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via Stefen Chow @ Medium
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I believe that most every parent would care if their partner was whisking away their child to another country. The spouse has every right to worry and he most certainly cares; that being said, it doesn’t mean that would stop me from traveling. The spouse will most definitely miss the little ones dearly while we are on our adventures, but he also realizes how fortunate our children are to be seeing the world at such a young age. Stefen doesn’t regret one bit bringing his daughter with him while he travels and this is what is concludes with; “My daughter and I had a very healthy relationship before this, but the trip really made us appreciate each other more. Since the trip, I feel that we are able to draw common memories and experiences, and it has certainly brought us closer together. Mummy agrees, so that’s a good thing.”
Julie Martin
LEAF Editor & Contributor
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