Ways Travel
Can ransform Your Kids
When you go on a trip, whether it’s a quick jaunt to a neighboring town or a weeklong stay in an exotic locale, you interact with new people and cultures. It’s one thing to hear someone talk about the laid-back vibes of theWest Coast, but you can’t really feel them for yourself until you’ve meandered through the redwoods or watched the sun set over Puget Sound. Now, imagine the positive effects this kind of cultural awakening could have on a young mind! While we tend to think about the worst-case scenarios and added stresses of traveling with kids, they
theory of evolution was conceived, or having the chance to talk about the beginnings of the RevolutionaryWar while strolling through Minute Man National Historical Park in Massachusetts. If you live in a state with a rich history, make it a point to visit one of the nearby museums. If you’re planning a vacation abroad, incorporate visits to historical sites. Take the opportunity to learn as a family! 2. They’ll pick up new skills. In addition to learning about history, your childmay discover a new skill. They may learn a bit of conversational Spanish during a trip to Mexico or they might play soccer with a group of children and realize they have a knack for it. By fostering a sense of healthy curiosity about new places, you’ll help your child feel confident enough to branch out of their comfort zone andmake new friends at home and on the road. 3. They’ll understand compassion. After a trip to Fiji, Lonely Planet Kids writer Patrick Kinsella found that, long after they returned, his eldest daughter continued to reflect on her experience.“It’s an eye- andmind-opening experience, especially for Ivy, who has never before considered that someone her age might not have a TV, let alone lack electricity,”Kinsella writes.“For many months afterward, Ivy talk[ed] about Po, imagining her Fijian friend’s life.” Because they’re so open-minded, kids are the perfect sponges for new experiences. At the very least, they’ll be less likely to take what they have for granted, and they might even develop an expansive and exploratory worldview.
stand to benefit as much, if not more, from travel as we do. You never know— your son or daughter may realize a passion for a subject that will one day become their career. As you’re plotting destinations for the new year, keep these life-changing possibilities in mind. 1. History will come to life. Yes, your kids will read aboutWorldWar II in school and take state capital quizzes. But in the end, nothing compares to firsthand experiences of culturally significant locations. Imagine showing a child the Galapagos Islands, where Darwin’s famous SUCCESS STORY I was onmy way home one night and was stopped at a light. I was waiting to turn left onto the highway when out of nowhere I was hit on the rear passenger side of my car. This caused the car to spin around once before coming to a standstill. The woman who hit me came running over tomy car, worried that I was injured. I kept telling her that I was fine and not hurt at all, and I truly believed that. The next morning, I woke up with a headache, and it persisted all day. My husband, Dr. Colby, insisted that I come into his office to get checked out. I thought he was being a little dramatic about the situation, but his response was,“You never complain about headaches.”He remindedme that I really had no idea what effect the accident had on my spine. Long story short, tomy surprise, that small accident had done quite a lot. Chris had old X-rays of me that he was able to compare to the X-ray done the very next day after the accident. It was amazing howmuch hadmoved. I could see it withmy own two eyes. I suffered from severe whiplash that hadmoved some of the vertebrae inmy neck. It took days before I felt the soreness, and that soreness persisted for weeks. I really never understood how lucky I was to bemarried to a chiropractor until I was involved in an auto accident.
If I had not beenmarried to Chris, I would have never seen a doctor. I would have chalked up the soreness to sleeping the wrong way in bed. I would have lived with that soreness until the rest of my body had compensated for the moved vertebrae, and who knows what kind of damage that would have caused to the rest of my body 10, 15, or 20 years down the road? It took Chris six months to straighten out what that small accident had done tome. Today, I am a business manager for an automotive dealership. I can’t tell you howmany of my clients come in to buy cars after they have been in an accident. I feel compelled to tell them all about my story and I urge them to see a chiropractor. I feel obligated to share my experience and the lessons I learned from it to help others get the real help they need.
–Angie Colby www.functionforlife.com
2
860.644.2437
“Relief today...function for life!”
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs