This week, Sarah and I are delighted to bring Heather Avis to Best of Both Worlds. Heather is the mom of two kids with Down Syndrome. In this week’s episode, she shares her powerful adoption story, and her mission to shift the narrative around special needs. She also has a great perspective on helping kids develop resilience and embrace what makes them different.
Her new children’s book, I Like You So Much, is available wherever books are sold.
In the Q&A, we address a listener who wonders how she can get her partner on board with travel planning now that they have a 5-year-old (who can travel better than when he was littler). While travel specific, this question also gets at the larger issue of what to do when one partner wants to plan and the other does not.
Please give the episode a listen, and as always, we welcome ratings and reviews!
My tip for the listener who is trying to figure out what travel will look like as a family rather than a couple – chat to your friends/family/co-workers etc and ask LOTS of questions about their vacations!
I have found that this has given me great ideas of places to go, but also helped narrow down what we want and don’t want in a trip. Friends with slightly older children are a particularly good resource! People who live near you will have personal experience of routes/journey times to possible destinations which can be really valuable.
Duration of trip? Transport (flying vs road trip etc)? Outdoor activities? History/culture? Kid-friendly activities? Childcare? Busy or restful? Exciting or chilled? Type of accommodation? Eating in or dining out?
Hearing from others can help you to picture what a family trip CAN look like, then you can narrow down what you want for YOUR family.
@K – great advice! Yes, families with older kids have all sorts of ideas of what has worked and what didn’t. And if you know that someone like you survived a situation, it can make it feel more doable.