Are you making your kids weird? I know I am.
I love to travel. All year, I save so that I can go on wonderful trips. I’m not a big spender on things, but I love to spend on experiences. My daughter likes to travel too, and I enjoy taking her with me. We get to have adventures together, and they’re very educational of course. We’ve learned about the tropical rainforest by going there and walking through it. Most recently, we’ve explored great European works of art (and yes, ice cream and lots of carousels) by traveling through Italy and France.
Here’s the weird part. Since I was a teenager, I’ve loved Leonardo da Vinci. I love what he stands for: the fusion of science and art, the experimentation, the joy in creating. I’d always wanted to trace his life, and so this March that is what we did.
We started in Vinci and made our way through Florence and Milan. Then we visited Paris to see that rather famous painting at the Louvre, and we ended up in Amboise, at the Chateau and Clos Luce where Leonardo died and is buried. It was a fabulous and moving trip for me.
My daughter thought it was a little weird. She enjoyed it, to be sure. She’s at an age where she can start to enjoy art galleries and architecture, as long as we don’t overload it too much. She also loved the gelato! However, she may be the only 6 year old to have gone to just about every Leonardo da Vinci museum.
Of course, I think I’m relatively normal. Like everyone, I have my quirks and passions. You probably have a few as well, and I’m sure that your children do too. Does exploring these to the fullest make us weird people? I don’t think so. Having the desire to explore a topic and the will to make it happen makes us interesting people who have a deep sense of what we love and are driven to pursue it.
The next time you drag your kid to a museum to check out a painter you love, or build a go-kart so that you can relive your past, know that you’re modeling passion for your kids. You’re telling them that it’s ok to do something that others might find a little strange, because it means that you have passion, vision, and drive. Let’s celebrate weirdness in all of its quirky glory, and let’s make our kids weird too!
Image Credit: Stock Exchange