This summer my husband and I decided to take a big leap in summer vacations and take our 3 boys to London and Paris for 6 weeks. We didn’t think it would be a big deal, we already have an apartment in London and we would take a nanny with us to help out, little did we know that this trip would be anything but why we planned!
The first disappointment came when the British embassy refused a visa for our nanny, after several attempts, we got a rejected visa letter a couple of days before our tip, so there was no alternative we could have tried. Not wanting to cancel our plans (we made reservations for everything 6 months ago!), or disappoint our overexcited kids, we decided to go and make it work for us.
Many of our personal plans would be cancelled, only a few that we really wanted to do were left on our list; we would hire a local nanny. I would have to calm myself down as my biggest fear as a mother is a lost child in London, I don’t know why London, it just is. I packed our bags and sat the kids down to give them a lecture on how the trip will go.
Honestly, this was a great opportunity for the kids to be more independent, to learn how to take care of each other, and a good time to introduce basic chores to them. That is exactly what happened, our kids now wake up each morning with a basic morning drill; wake up, make the bed, bathroom (pee, brush teeth, wash face), and underwear goes into the laundry hamper. Other responsibilities would be helping younger brothers get changed, putting the dishes in the sink after eating, and clearing the toys after playtime. It was tough in the beginning, but now they do it without thinking.
Twice a week we hire a local nanny that the kids loved for my husband and I to have some alone time. They are very affordable and trusted; they have been working with Kuwaiti families for the past 15 years, she basically knows most of my family and has at some point worked with them. If she isn’t available she always sends someone she trusts and who are just as good as her.
Is it really a holiday for me? Not really, but when my husband and I decided to go even without the nanny we knew it was a trip for the kids, we would have another trip to relax sometime later this year. For the time being, we are loving how are kids are absorbing a new culture and lifestyle! I”ll be posting about are many adventures in London, we had so much fun!
