10 Days in England with my Teen
This is NOT a sponsored post, but straight from the heart!
If you’ve been following me on social media recently, then you know I was just in England by the millions of photos I’ve posted. I’m sorry if it was too much for you, but I had lots of people here in the States wanting to keep track of their kids! My middle son, #2Son, was lucky enough to travel to England with his soccer team, and I was lucky enough to go with him. The soccer club that he plays for, KC Legends, sends each of their teams over to England when they are 13 or 14-years-old. It is a trip of a lifetime for sure. The teams fundraise forever, but all that hard work pays off big time!
This was my second trip over to the UK. Five years ago I was fortunate to take my oldest, #1Son, over on a similar trip (he was 12 at the time). This trip has now become a tradition for me and my boys. I can’t wait to take #3Son over in 3-4 years.
I will never forget 5 years ago when I was in London with #1Son and we were walking down the street when he grabbed my hand to hold. We walked for quite a while just holding hands. My heart melted. I knew moments like these were not going to happen often the older he got. The exact same thing happened with #2Son this trip — hand-holding in London. There is something about traveling and being one-on-one with your kid that just brings you closer. I highly recommend every parent fitting in some one-on-one time with each of your kids. You don’t have to travel around the world to do it, but simply do a fun activity together that you both enjoy. They grow-up so fast.
On this trip we spent 5 days in Chester, England, one of my most favorite cities in the world, and then we spent 5 days in London, which I love also. The boys played 6 soccer games, trained with the Liverpool FC Academy coaches, went to an Arsenal game, toured Old Trafford (home of Manchester United) and Anfield (home of Liverpool FC). We also visited Caernarfon and Conwy Castles in Wales and Windsor Castle in London. If you are interested in your soccer team taking a similar trip, then you should check out the international team tours at upper90.com. I highly recommend this tour company!!! Just give Pat a call and he can answer any questions you have.
I’m sad the trip is over, but sure glad to be home with my whole family. My first night back I woke up not knowing where I was. My hubby told me, “You are home.” I guess I replied, “Oh. I thought I was in a castle.” I can’t say I’ll miss the food or the backwards push-pull of all the British doors (completely backwards from American doors!), but I will miss holding hands with my son as we walk the streets of England. Priceless!!