My husband and I took a cruise in Europe while our kids were at camp. It was unsettling at first not to have parenting duties.
A parent reflects on the emotional adjustment of taking a cruise in Europe while her children attended sleepaway camp. The experience allowed the couple to rediscover their identities outside of their parenting roles.
Why it matters
This personal essay explores the psychological transition of parents as children gain independence and the importance of maintaining individual identity.
The author and her husband went to Europe while their twins were at sleepaway camp. Courtesy of Alesandra Dubin When our twins were at camp, my husband and I went to Europe and took a cruise. At first, it was unsettling not to have daily parenting responsibilities. However, the trip reminded us of who we are outside being parents, and we all came home changed. When my husband and I boarded a flight to Europe earlier this summer, we were embarking on our first major trip alone since becoming parents 12 years ago. I knew it would be an adjustment to travel without our twins. What I hadn't quite realized was that the hard part happened before we even left home. A few days earlier, we'd dropped our 12-year-old twins off for a 19-day session at the same Southern California sleepaway camp I attended for 11 summers growing up.
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