Baggage-free travel

We were on a 6 week long vacation to India. My cubs 6 and 2, both US-born, were excited. My hubby and I, both Indian-born, were excited too but also a bit nervous.”They’ll get to know all the family”, we thought, “but will they eat okay? They’ll love riding without car-seats but will they be safe? Will they go potty Indian-style? They’ll love all the attention but will they be overwhelmed by frequent tousle- your- hair- kind of affection? They’ll love hanging out with their cousins but will not knowing the language hinder their ability to communicate and have fun?” Guess what? They did just fine. They ate like caterpillars, traveled like monarchs and chatted with everyone in whatever little Kannada they were picking up! They loved the over- the- top affection and flooded the bathrooms with rambunctious bucket baths. In fewer words, they had a blast. Embarrassingly enough, it was daddy and I who complained about the traffic, the heat and the delays. And all along we had believed our kids would act more first-worldly. And now, they’re back in the good old US of A enjoying their jet-lag just as much…sleeping days and playing Wii through the night, and of course munching on the fried snacks granny packed them with all her love. I’m so glad they had no baggage to claim on either continent. I pray that it lasts forever. Go childhood! P.S: Did I mention I just set my Diaper Genie free? My little one who was still diaper-clad when we left for India came back fully potty trained with no initiation from me?! Yippeeeee!