When TD, my oldest was born, I dreamed that one day I would take her to Paris. Just her and I. I wanted to do it before she turned 12. Eight years later we haven’t made the trek and there are two smaller sisters who have followed. The idea of trekking across the Atlantic with three small girls in tow all by myself no longer possesses such a dream-like state. Sounds more nightmarish, if I’m being totally honest. They still act like feral cats a bit too much to make that trip.
FOR THE ADULTS
Jennifer Coburn’s book, We’ll Always Have Paris, takes my dream and turns it into a reality. When her only daughter turned eight she decided to put aside her fears and take her abroad. She wanted to be able to say, “We’ll always have Paris.” to her daughter, Katie, just in case she checked out early like her father did when Jennifer was in college. She wanted no regrets, only beautiful memories built from first this mother/daughter adventure.
I delved into this book with a lot of wistfulness. I so want to experience the same things with my girls and yet, I suffer from massive anxiety over taking them all abroad alone and being the sole parent responsible while navigating a foreign country. Without being snarky or obsessive Coburn shows us all that on her end and the freeness that Katie has in viewing first Paris and London, then Italy and Spain a few years later. The trips continue and transport you. Throughout Coburn weaves the story of her father’s illness then death from cancer at an early age. It changes her forever and the reader feels every bit of her young angst and sadness.
‘We’ll Always Have Paris’ is a sweet read that will make you yearn for travel. My guess is that you will realize it isn’t as hard as it seems and if you are like me you will begin putting money aside for just such a trip. It’s all about letting go of the fear and fully living. A very valuable lesson I want to impart on my girls in many ways.
We’ll Always Have Paris: A Mother/Daughter Memoir
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FOR THE KIDS
My husband and I often joke that our weekly viewing and breakdown of survival skills on the show ‘The Walking Dead’ might mean we are closet preppers. Because as we all know, “It’s never too early to start prepping.” Natural disasters, zombie apocalypse, mice taking over the world. Whatever.
Jake & Miller’s Big Adventure: A Prepper’s Book for Kids by Bernie Carr is a cute, full-color book kids book that shows how Jake and his dog, Miller get all the necessities they need into their backpacks and head out to various locations. From deserts to caves and even snowy mountains Jake and Miller show the importance of life-saving and preparedness skills. It’s informative, funny and shows how even scary moments can be good adventures.
Jake and Miller’s Big Adventure: A Prepper’s Book for Kids
