5 reasons to allow your children to start traveling at early age
There are many reasons why traveling at an early age is desirable and why you should allow your children to travel at early age.
But I have always been an over protected child by my parents. Being the youngest I always got more attention than I needed. Both my sisters and parents took care of me and always kept me loaded with love. This is something everyone wants their childhood to be, right?
WRONG!
Apparently love turned into protection and that converted to over protection which caused serious effects on my childhood as well as my adulthood.
I never did anything with 100% responsibility, there was always someone to save me or help me. I never developed enough confidence to do anything on my own. This really got into my skin and became my nature. I started getting nervous for anything that I have to do alone. I wasn’t prepared for any challenge. I was tender compared to other children of my age.
Initially I couldn’t realize what these things are doing to me mentally but in my late 20s, I realized I have been facing difficulty in doing things that a regular 20 year old should be able to do easily. The over protection from my parents and siblings was ruining my inner-self. I could not take my own decisions; I always 100% dependent on my parents and I had never stepped out of my city alone.
I started seeing my weaknesses and they were visible to others too. I wanted to recreate myself but couldn’t understand how I can do that. Finally, I decided to leave the home and go for a hostel.
Why I did that?
Moving out of my comfort zone taught me number of things that I could have easily missed while living at home. It gave me a greater idea of what is really going on in the world we live. It was an eye opener for me. It helped me to develop essential traits like confidence and decision making.
Here are the five reasons why you should allow your children to start travelling at early age:
1. It Broadens the mindset
Changes are inevitable. They will understand this only if they are exposed to change. Travelling let them feel the changes around them and they learn how to adapt to this change. It teaches them to be open to changes. After all of the new experiences they have had, your teen/child will want to go to all kinds of new places and learn more. They will become a sponge to the world around them, sucking up any new information that comes their way.
2. They will get street smart
It is always good to be excellent in academics but they won’t help you everywhere. In today’s world it is more important to be ‘street smart’ rather than being ‘school smart’. Traveling will teach them things that can be applied in their daily life. It will give them a unique wisdom to be proud of for whole life.
3. Help them realize it’s not all about us
The older I become, the more I realize I actually know very little about life. I could have been better if I had known this earlier. Traveling puts us in tough situations and pushes us to get out of it. It helps them realize the world doesn’t revolve around them. Traveling teaches them to let go of the perceived concept of control.
4. Traveling empowers them to take on new challenges
Just as traveling is humbling, it is also empowering. You realize you can do things you never thought possible. For example, things like staying alone, taking all decision by myself, managing my finances; all these things would have been impossible for me to learn if I had not moved out.
It helps your children to take challenges every day. Although I think that’s a good thing to learn at any age, but you can apply it longer throughout your lifetime if you start early.
5. It will make them interesting person
Everybody loves the person who has stories to tell. They will not be a blank canvas anymore; the travels will be part of their story as a person. In a group conversation or in a formal interview the experience of traveling will always come handy to show how interesting person are you. Also they can be inspiration for someone who has been thinking to do the same.
Bottom Line:
Always allow your children to go out and travel. Help them only if they ask for it. Let them figure out how they want to go ahead in their life. Don’t let opportunity pass them by; let them explore the world while they’re young.
