“One of the best gifts you can give your children is great memories…”

I read this quote recently and have to admit that it has really resonated with me. It made me think long and hard about what I want to do as a mother for my son. Material things will quickly become outdated, worn out and forgotten- memories however stick with you for a lifetime. Think about it, when you think of your childhood and people you love, memories are what usually come to mind. Some of my favorite personal memories are thoughts of family vacations. My family never went more than a year without a vacation. Most of these were trips to Disney World, which is why I have a passion for creating family memories for people today. Disney is special, but the idea going anywhere we loved and spending quality time with each other is something that we still value.

Togetherness

Growing up, my family was always on the move, who had practice? Who was working late? It wasn’t typical for us to even sit down together for a meal. Vacation was a different story! We were together for the entire week, no reason to go anywhere and it was perfect. In our case this meant three meals a day on top of endless Disney rides, shows and so much more. Although it wasn’t necessarily “relaxing” we loved it! Because of the togetherness.

Fast forward to 2016 when things are even more crazy than they use to be. Throw in cell phones, computers, iPads, and the business of social media! All of these new things on top of the other things that serve as distractions. Vacation used to be an excuse to unwind and relax and not have anywhere to be. Now it’s that but also so much more. It is an excuse to go somewhere, “shutdown” and “log off” and enjoy time with your family. With the amount of time we spend connecting with others via social media, we forget about actually interacting with the people that are most important. Creating family memories to last a lifetime needs to be intentional!

Intentional Family Memories

I am now a mother and I can promise you that taking family trips is one of my top priorities. My husband and I firmly believe in the importance of taking time out for our family, where we can spend uninterrupted moments together. Vacation has the added bonus of doing things we would never be able to do at home. Our son is currently 16 months old and we have already taken him on one family vacation to the beach and in less than two months we are off to Walt Disney World.

We have been told that this is a waste (innumerable times!) because he will never remember. My response is this – he may not remember, but I WILL. I will remember his smile and the excitement. I will remember everything; what we did, when we did it and why! In time he will be old enough to remember all of the amazing things we do on our family vacations and these will certainly be some of the best gifts I could ever give him.

Take a minute and think about your family and your memories and consider making new memories. Maybe a swim with dolphins or a trip to learn more about your heritage? No matter what you do, one thing is certain- you will be making memories together!

-Kim