With only a few days in England, I chose York for several reasons:

1. Rick Steeves said I should, and he would know.
2. They say it’s the most Medieval looking city in England, and that is perfection.
3. It is located between London and Scotland, and I was determined to experience Scotland, so it was on the way!

We were staying at Goodramgate Apartments, which we enjoyed. That meant we were on our own for breakfast though.

By the time we all took our turns in the bathroom, Wheldrakes was finished serving breakfast and we had to order from the lunch menu. It was was around 10:30am. We never could match our vacation eating clock to the normal schedule of an English person!

The boys wanted to protest and revolt at the idea of ordering sandwiches instead of scones or pancakes, so we had to maintain the peace with the boys. Apparently, I have not fed this family enough sandwiches. They act as though it’s a second rate meal. I personally think sandwiches are delicious!

In the end, everyone enjoyed their food. There were many gluten free options. The waitress said they are even careful not to cross-contaminate. AND! And, and, and…..THEY HAD GLUTEN FREE CAKE!!!

We learned what a “toastie” is, and after all the complaining, I think everyone had a delicious lunch after all.

I cannot believe I did not take a picture of the gluten free cake slice I ordered and took back to our room. It was my breakfast the next day. When you are gluten free, and you get to have cake at a restaurant, it’s a very big deal. I think it was lemon poppyseed, or something like that. So yummy!

We were so close to our apartment, we were able to run my cake back to our fridge before starting out on our big day in York.

We had exactly two goals as we started out: Shambles and Jorvik Viking Center.

The Shambles is one of the streets York is most famous for. There’s an open air market during the day. This place still has original medieval buildings standing and in use. According to the website, the cobblestone street with the overhanging buildings was originally created that way to block the sun from ruining the meat that was for sale.

People believe the Shambles inspired Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter films, though it was not filmed here.

When we set out on our day, we thought we were headed towards the Jorvik Viking Center first.

But, like all good tourists, we got a little turned around and ended up at Clifford’s Tower first instead.

And yes, I did a great deal of this trip in dresses. I packed these two and did a laundry day at the apartments, since we were not about to pay for checked luggage for five people. I may do a whole blog post about travel clothes because it’s kind of a big deal.

To make a long story short, people dress better in Europe. It wasn’t as drastic in the U.K. as it was in Italy, but they are less casual. I saw no one touring in full workout gear, like we do here in America. Plus, if you wear a little pair of thin shorts under your dress, it’s crazy comfy.

This was the moldiest building I’ve ever seen. The mold makes it look ancient. I forgave it because I figured it was five hundred years old, but no. It is only two hundred years old. Not that anyone asked me, but I think they need to tear it down and start over. Compared, to half of York, it’s not all that historical.

Clifford’s Tower is a historical gem!

We learned all we needed to know about York’s back story from this one stop.

Every crevice of this castle tower held a history lesson with multiple first-person accounts of past events. It took us from the Norman invasion of Jorvik and building the original wooden tower.

There were years of Jewish persecution. In 1190, when the Jews of the town were trapped in the tower, hiding from a local mob that surrounded the tower, wanting to kill them. These Jewish people baricaded into the tower and ultimately killed themselves and each other to escape being killed by the mob of angry citizens. That wooden tower burned down, and the current Clifford’s Tower was built in the same spot sixty years later. (For more on that story, go here.)

There were years of soldiers stationed in the tower. In Clifford’s Tower, there is an audio and written story of the great Clifford’s Tower explosion, resulting in the pink bricks and the soldiers no longer having to live in the tower.

The castle histories also take us all the way up through years of desertion when the castle was overgrown with nature and a tree in the center! It was fascinating!!!

The gray bench you see in the big doorway window there is one of the information benches. You can sit on these and listen to a York historical account, involving the Tower, told in the first person perspective of a past resident.

I loved this. We all headed up the stairs, but I got whoozy headed up on the upstairs landing and made my way right back down. I’m not good with open-air heights. I wish I were!

The boys headed on up and out to the roof deck where you can look over the city. I spent my time downstairs listening to all the histories.

You can see Alan and two of the boys looking down on me from the roof. That was cool.

Clifford’s Tower is the closest thing York has to an actual medieval castle now.

And it is well worth visiting! I’m so thankful we didn’t miss it. This is a hard city to make a call on because I couldn’t cut out any of the things we saw from any agenda. We saw the Shambles, Clifford’s Tower, York’s City Walls, ate at a couple of local restaurants, toured the Jorvik Viking Center, and played mini-golf at A Hole in Wand, and I wouldn’t skip any of it!

We left the tower, bought a few drinks from a food truck, and set back out on our quest to find the Jorvik Viking Center.

It was close by. In the city center of York, it isn’t very far to walk anywhere, which is so convenient. Of course, my poor arthritic feet were killing me anyway.

Upon arrival, we learned that the Jorvik Viking Center requires timed tickets.

Half of me was ready to just chunk the activity. What if it’s just a cheesy, kiddie type deal? It could be a total waste. Alan went online and found times we could sign up for just a couple of hours away. Plus, if this place has such a long line that you need timed tickets, maybe it is valuable after all.

I do travel in a man-pack, so things with the work “Viking” are usually well received.

Once Alan secured our tickets, we decided to use our small window of free time to go back and see the Shambles.

We’d passed by a little of it earlier, but we didn’t realize it. It was a charming, and genuinely unique.

Then it was time for our Viking Tour!!

Before it was called York, it was Jorvik, pronounced Yorvik.

At the Jorvik Viking Center, you learn a great deal about the Viking history of the city. They have found so much archaeological evidence of the Viking settlement. It was fascinating to learn about.

The center has a ride where you learn about the Viking settlement and how they lived. This ride is worthy of Disney World! It is that impressive. It has the animatronic type people, and some of the people are designed to look exactly as Viking skeletons they have dug up at this very site.

This was splendid.

After the ride, there is a museum. This area of the museum had Viking-like weapons and such you can try on. The boys enjoyed that, of course.

From what I read while in York, when the Normans invaded, they cleared out Jorvik, threw the Viking inhabitants out of their homes, and moved in themselves. The Anglo Saxons were there in York as well. They were there before the Vikings. I think it would be so interesting to dive in and read all about the history of the people of York.

After the Jorvik Viking Center we decided to try out the cool looking “Hole in Wand” we’d found across the street.

The younger two boys agreed on one thing: they enjoyed the destinations. They hated the constant, walking and looking, walking and looking.

This has been a problem everywhere we have taken them. There seems to be a certain age you need to reach before you appreciate simply walking around a noteworthy city. Caleb was old enough to enjoy the walks. The others, not so much.

Again, when you travel in a pack of boys, you cater to the pack.

If the chosen activity is a mini-golf place, fully themed out Harry Potter style, I can easily get on board with that. We all had a great time, though some of us were a little extra competitive.

We now all know which family member to be afraid of when playing mini-golf, and no, it isn’t me. Don’t worry, no one whacked their club on the ground Happy Gilmore style. There was whining though.

The entire family was on board with trying this out, which is rare indeed.

At the end of your golf game, you show your scorecard to the front desk, as everyone will receive a potion prize.

The potion is a soda. They come in different colors and flavors, depending on your prize.

Alan won, the boys all got odd number prizes, and then mine was the funniest. I was last place. The man looked at my score card and said, “Oh! Not a wizard!” So I got a different ‘potion’.

I got a kick out of that.

After golf, we searched for a place to eat and ended up settling on Pizza Hut.

They had a family deal and gluten free pizza, so were please as punch.

Alan and Caleb wanted to keep exploring York after dinner, but my feet were beyond pain.

I could barely walk, so the younger two boys and I headed back to our apartment to rest a while.

Alan and Caleb found all sorts of things to include York Minster and this Constanstine statue.

York Minster is truly a must see, with its enormous stained glass windows. I mean technically, I only saw it from a distance, but somehow I still feel satisfied since Alan and Caleb saw it. Ha! They represented us and they took nice photos, so I’m happy.

York Minster has seen a royal wedding, several fires, wars, and many renovations. This is an active church and the seat of the Archbishop of York.

York Minster is open for tours as well as worship services. You can buy tour tickets on their website. None of us took a tour though. Maybe next time.

“It is a Yorkshire habit to say what you think with blunt frankness.” Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

I find it so incredible how much of a mark the Romans made on the world!

After strolling around York, Alan and Caleb rejoined us, and we walked the York walls again.

We wanted to walk a new area of the walls, but they were closed off for renovations, so we settled for walking the same walls as we walked the night before. Everyone still had fun.

York is the place to be!

We would have been happy to stay there another couple of days! The next morning we packed up and drove up to Stirling, Scotland, with one detour on the way to visit Vindolanda and Hadrian’s Wall. I’ll tell you all about that next time

If you missed our other adventures in England, see those posts below!

London Day 1: Buckingham Palace, Kensington Gardens, etc.

London Day 2: The Tower of London and Prime Meridian

Stonehenge

Road Trip Through England to York’s City Walls

The post Adventures in Historical York: Vikings, a Castle, and Wizard Golf appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

On our third day in England, we enjoyed one last free breakfast at the Doubletree in Chelsea, picked up a rental car, and drove from London to the famous Stonehenge.

Stonehenge is only an hour and sixteen to thirty minutes from Heathrow Airport (where we got our rental car).

This turned out to be a fairly relaxing day for me personally. My feet were rejoicing for sure! All of the difficulties fell on Alan, as he’s the one who had to drive a car on the left side of the road, the English way.

I honestly did not even attempt English driving.

We arrived to Stonehenge to discover that while it is a long walk from the visitor’s center to the actual Stonehenge structure, it is no trial at all, as they offer a free shuttle bus!

Hurray!!!

My plantar fasciitis has rarely been so happy. I pitied the sweaty travelers who chose to walk the long path, as we flew past them on our free shuttle.

England is not normally that hot, but this was mid June, and it was scorching. There were no clouds at all. I was so grateful that I brought my blue hat.

This is the same hat I bought as I walked into Pompeii in 2023. It saved me that day, and it saved me at Stonehenge too!

Now I have noticed that many people disparage Stonehenge online. They say it isn’t worth visiting. There’s “too many tourists, and you don’t even get that close.”

These people are incredibly wrong. Stonehenge is well worth visiting!

My first thought upon seeing this was much like seeing the Grand Canyon in person for the first time. “Wow! This is way larger than I was expecting it to be!”

Before visiting, I pictured it maybe my height, tops. But no. These stones tower over even my six foot three husband.

Also, why do they say you don’t get to come close to the stones?

That isn’t true. There are places where you get plenty close. You do not get to touch them, but I was fine with that.

Were there many tourists?

Eh. Yes, but it wasn’t overwhelming. There was plenty of room for everyone. The only thing that was over-crowded was the shuttle bus, but that was well worth it.

They have several photo ideas stationed around Stonehenge. The viewing trail makes an entire circle around Stonehenge.

We tried out several of the photo ideas. My middle boys were the best at it. Caleb is a talented photographer. I’m a quick point-and-clicker with the photos. I rarely take more than a second making a photograph. Caleb takes his time and gets it just right.

By the time we finished walking around Stonehenge, we were all scorching enough to be in a hurry to get back to the visitor’s center.

The visitor’s center has an entire museum dedicated to the history of Stonehenge. We were able to slowly enjoy all of that, and then walk outside to see the Stonehenge huts.

Archaeologists discovered the dwelling places of the people who lived in the area in ancient days. I think they were the people of the time of the building of Stonehenge, though I’m not sure.

The Stonehenge Huts

There were informative displays about all we know about the people, their culture, and speculation on how the stones were transported and erected in their spots.

There are many other Stonehenge-type structures all over that area of England. We did not make time to go see the others. Once we finished at Stonehenge, we were looking forward to resting at our local hotel.

We stayed at the Stonehenge Inn. It is now one month later, and that particular night is our most referenced night in England.

It is the benchmark by which we measure how hot a room is.

“Was it just warm, or was it Stonehenge Inn level hot?” I asked JD about his camp cabin. (It was only warm.)

“Shooo! It’s like the Stonehenge Inn in here!”

Bless their hearts. It’s not all their fault. In England, most buildings do not have air conditioning. It’s very common to simply open your windows.

In a major heatwave, open windows are completely insufficient though. I promise you our second story room at the Stonehenge Inn was every bit of ninety degrees Farenheit.

It was not a bad hotel. They were well themed out. Grab-and-go breakfast items were available for free. Plus, it was really a pub. Downstairs, the pub was a busy place for people to come and drink and maybe have a burger. We even ate lunch there. It was a perfectly good deal. This is an affordable place to stay.

I can assure you my children would never stay there again though. Poor JD had to sleep on the top bunk.

Thankfully, we were whooped from jet lag, two days of walking all over London, and the hot day out at Stonehenge. We slept with no difficulty, in spite of the heat.

No covers were needed.

We all went in and lay flat on our backs on our respective beds. Mercifully, there was a fan, but it couldn’t reach everyone. Our room had a queen bed, a bunk bed, and a twin bed. Alan and Caleb ran out and got McDonald’s cold drinks and chicken nuggets for us that night. That means I had Diet Coke and a grab-and-go breakfast item for dinner.

For the first three nights in England, we watched the same stuff on t.v.

There was always a Simpson episode or two, followed by a documentary on British public television about President George H.W. Bush (the first Bush). The kids definitely learned a lot about President Bush and Homer Simpson on this trip.

Our room’s window was right over the outside tables and chairs for the pub, which resulted in another challenge.

There was one table of men, around age thirty, at the table directly under our window, They were having such a jolly evening all catching up with each other. I mean this in a good way. These men were not drunk and rowdy. They were sitting around the table talking and laughing, in a perfectly respectable way.

The thing was they were right under our very open window, and by ten o’clock, we were more than ready to be asleep.

We were in the middle of talking about this when Alan chimed in, “Well, we will all go to sleep when those guys at the table go home.”

Alan didn’t mean to say it loudly. He wasn’t trying to make them hear him. But Alan’s voice is deep, and it carries. I guess they could hear us as well as we could hear them.

These poor, polite fellows. They got quiet for a minute. There was a moment of embarrassed silence for all of us. Then the men all said their good-byes to one another and headed out. They were gone in mere minutes.

Would I stay at the Stonehenge Inn again?

Sure, actually. I would, just not in June-August. Twenty minutes away from Stonehenge, there are several international chain hotels where you can stay, and those usually do have air conditioning.

Have you had any crazy hot hotel stays like this? I told the boys this is exactly the kind of thing you need to experience when you travel. It can’t be all Hilton hotels. Sometimes you need to dig in and live like a local with no air conditioning!

Without an experience like this, one might laugh at English people who complain about their heat. After all, their country is twenty degrees cooler in their hottest areas than the hottest areas of the U.S.A. However, once you have experienced an unbearably hot second story in an eighty degree heat wave, you understand. Eighty degrees with no a/c is just as bad as one hundred degrees with a/c.

There was so much to learn here! I highly recommend a good Stonehenge excursion, if you are ever in England! I love that we got to take our boys to see Stonehenge. This was such a surreal trip!

To read about our London days, click here and here.

The post Stonehenge & the Night We May Never Forget appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Our second day in London was by far my favorite! It was still in the middle of a sweaty heat wave and all, but it didn’t matter. Touring the ancient Tower of London was literally a dream come true for me.

I booked these tickets over a month in advance to make sure we wouldn’t miss out. We had 11-1130 timed entry tickets for our family. You can go here to book tickets.

What made the Tower of London such a must see for me? So many reasons!!

#1. It is the oldest castle inside the city of London.

Windsor Castle is older, but it is outside of the city. This one is smack dab in the middle.

#2. The Tower of London has a past filled with tragic stories. Few ghost tours anywhere could boast more tales of historic significance than this place.

The history is why I picked this particular castle to tour. It is one of the many fortresses constructed by William the Conqueror’s Norman invasion. This castle never fell into complete neglect. This place has always been nationally important to England. It is one of the Great Britain’s most famous symbols of power.

The Princes in the Tower is the story foremost in my mind when I think of the Tower. It is such an unfair, sad story. Basically, the heir to the throne and his brother were locked in the Bloody Tower of the Tower of London way back in 1483, by their uncle, Richard, the Duke of Gloucester. He was supposed to be taking care of the boys. Instead, he locked them up for “their protection.” Then he took the throne for himself, becoming King Richard III.

King Richard only ruled for two years before he was killed in the Battle of Bosworth by King Henry VII’s forces. Richard was the last Plantagenet king.

#3. Queen Elizabeth I was even held prisoner in the Tower, when her older sister, Mary, was Queen of England.

Actually, many monarchs have lived, had their coronation, or been imprisoned in the Tower of London.

#4. The Crown Jewels are kept and displayed here.

Photographs are not allowed in there, or you know I would be happy to share those. We did go in there. The line was not bad at all. We saw tiaras and crowns, scepters, and robes. It was definitely worth touring!

#5. The Tower was a military base during both World Wars.

This castle is SO RICH in history!!

We took the train from our hotel to the castle. As soon as we walked up from the railway, we could see the Tower of London. It was much larger than I expected. It is located on the River Thames, and it is surrounded by a vibrant area chock full of food trucks and ferries coming and going.

I told Alan, “If we ever come to London again, let’s stay here, in this area. I love the atmosphere.”

The old cobblestone road is still in place, but these newer tiles also supply a more comfortable place to walk. Cobblestone is no best friend to plantar fasciitis.

We had to walk all the way around to get to the tour entrance. I didn’t mind though, as there was so much to see. In the mornings, my feet were okay. By the end of each day, I could barely walk, especially day two, but that has more to do with our Prime Meridian adventure, which I’ll save for a future post.

JD kept us entertained, walking down these streets doing his best impersonation of a (NPC- non playable character) video game character walk. It is hilarious. We took videos, but I won’t embarrass him by posting them here. Although, he probably wouldn’t care.

Outside those walls, there used to be a moat, but they drained its stagnant waters to combat disease, back in the 1840s.

As it turns out, exploring castles and ancient fortresses, towers, and city walls is the PERFECT vacation for a family of energetic young men.

We visited several places like this, and they did love it. Now, the our Smallest Who of All still managed to complain a good bit. He received several reprimands about griping throughout the day.

I will say though, even our youngest never ran his mouth when we were strolling along a centuries old fortress wall or gazing at displays of knights and swords. Those things were popular with even our hardest to please boys.

In fact, even though this was all my idea, I was the one who got bored first in the White Tower. The White Tower is the central part of the fortress. It is the building inside the walls that you see on your souvenirs.

Why would I get bored in the White Tower?

Well, it was almost the last thing we toured that day, so I was tired. Plus, it was filled to the brim with armor and weaponry. It is basically a medieval knight and armory museum. Obviously, that was more appealing to everyone else in my group. I thought I was never going to get Caleb and Alan out of there.

We actually started out in the courtyard. Overwhelmed with all of the options, we started in the closest part of the walls to where we happened to be standing, which I believe was the Salt Tower and the Wall Walk.

There is so much to tour in the Tower of London, we did not get to all of it!

The fortress walls are like a whole castle in themselves. It is enormous.

Workers at the Tower, such as the Yeoman Warders do live here.

In fact, the Yeoman Warders offer guided tours around the Tower, included in your admission ticket. When we have little boys in tow, we know we cannot handle a guided tour. We always have to do a self-guided option. I’m sure we learn less, but we enjoy the freedom to goof off and move at our own pace.

Throughout the many towers along the walls, there are displays like the one above.

The photo above is a good miniature of the Tower, though I’m not sure in which time period. It looks like it does not include the Jewel Tower, where the crown jewels are kept. Speaking of which, that was our next stop after walking a good amount of the walls and the outeer towers.

That’s me, excitedly waiting in line to see the Crown Jewels.

We became two groups in there, a faster group, and then Alan and Caleb. The little boys and I waited at the end, and I did notice they did not utter one grunt of complaint about going through the Crown Jewels building. Every single person in the group respected that this was a remarkable thing to see.

The boys were hungry though, and beginning to ask for this and that to eat and drink, so we went to lunch at the cafe inside the Tower grounds.

The cafe had burgers, fish and chips, as well as some gluten free offerings, so there was something for everyone. I had a fluffy little gluten free cake with my lunch, so I think I left happiest of all.

Every day I did keep my eyes out for some gluten free fish ‘n chips. No luck yet on days one or two.

After lunch, it was on to the White Tower.

There must be many cold months in England, because we saw these radiators everywhere. Air conditioning was rare though..

I have noticed they do not admit to loving it. But the thing is, I was the only one who walked through it in two minutes and spent twenty minutes waiting at the other end of the room for the rest of them to finish looking and reading about it all.

Now that I do find interesting. Does that make me morbid?

I thought the sword exhibit was astonishing, for the history to be so well preserved!

This is the oldest surviving artwork of the Tower, dating back to the 1400s.

So if you ever need some metal armor, like a medieval Knight would wear, I know where we can find gobs of it. Haaa!!!

My favorite part of the White Tower’s exhibits was actually this:

In the last room we toured of the White Tower, we found this! It was a room full of interactive exhibits, and I was way too tired to do any of them other than the photo station. I took some photos and waited on the bench for everyone else to finish.

We also thoroughly enjoyed the gift shop! It’s a miracle we made it out of there with only buying that Christmas ornament I’m holding in the photo. They had the best gift shop, full of medieval weapon replicas, royal robes and crowns, etc. We were so entertained. Alan had to drag us out of there.

I knew our time was running short, and we were not going to have time to see all of the things, so I made it my mission to find the Bloody Tower.

That’s where the exhibit was on the Princes in the Tower, which I mentioned at the beginning of this post.

The Bloody Tower starts out with a large display about Sir Walter Raleigh, who was imprisoned here with his family.

The Bloody Tower also contains this still working portcullis, which keeps people in or out of the Tower.

The boys had never heard the story of the Princes in the Tower, and there is a film in the tower that tells the story well. A child’s voice is used to tell the story, while a video to go along with it is projected on the wall. It all has a hauntingly, moving, sad effect on the listener.

Towards the end of our time, we saw a little street theatre going on too, which we enjoyed.

All in all, this was my favorite London outing. I highly recommend taking a tour of this impressive, historic fortress!

For more on our London trip, you can find day one: Buckingham Palace, here.

The post The Best Part of London: Touring The Tower of London appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

London, baby!

This year my husband, Alan, starts a fancy new job that we expect will keep him busier than he has been for the last couple of years. Therefore, we decided to give our family an all-out overseas vacation.

This was the boys’ first time overseas, so we figured a United Kingdom trip would break them in the most gently to international travel. After all, everyone speaks English there. Ha.

London day #1

Day one took us from the airport, to our hotel for a long nap, and then down to Central London to see Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abby. Plus, I had this need, thanks to my time watching Downton Abbey and such shows, to go for a walk in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.

You can fly nonstop Washington, D.C. to Heathrow Airport near London, so we did just that.

Hotels in London are insanely expensive, and there were five of us going. Maybe a single room in the heart of London would not be too bad, but two doubles? Yikes. We had to find a happy medium between staying out of town and staying downtown.

I opted for a good deal I found near Chelsea, and Chelsea is fairly close to Kensington. I knew I wanted to walk through Kensington Gardens and get a glimpse of Kensington Palace, so I figured Chelsea was good enough.

We stayed at the Hilton Doubletree Chelsea, and thankfully it was right next to a train stop.

I checked when I booked it. Unfortunately, I didn’t bank on that very train line being shut down for one of our trip days, but you just cannot know that sort of thing.

It was okay though. London is eaten up with train stops, so we just walked to the next closest one, which was in easy walking distance for us. Well…. honestly it was in good distance for us for the first part of our day. We couldn’t hack it at the end of our day, but I’ll save that story for later in this post.

By the way, we took the red eye flight.

….Because let’s just go ahead and deal with the jet lag head on. Plus, red eye flights were cheaper.

We left D.C. at 5pm, and we arrived in London at 6am. We probably each slept two hours on the plane. Daniel did not sleep at all. Gracious, Daniel and JD. Those two! I sat beside them, and they were giddy happy trouble all night long.

I thought we’d manage.

My delusional brain figured we’d ditch our suitcases at our hotel and go sight seeing right away. We knew our rooms wouldn’t be ready yet.

Miracle of miracles, the Doubletree managed to get us into one of our rooms at around 9am London time. The other room would be ready later. We were thrilled.

No one had any choice. There was a twin bed and a double bed and four people. All of us, except poor Alan, crashed onto a bed and couldn’t wake ourselves until probably 2pm London time.

Poor Alan. He tried to sleep on the double bed with two of us. He couldn’t do it successfully. I think he may have only gotten an hour of sleep in the hotel compared to our four or five. He kept trying to wake us up to head into town. It was not happening. We couldn’t wake up even if we wanted to.

Around two or three in the afternoon, Alan finally got us all awake and herded out of our hotel.

We were ready to hit the town. I’d known this day would be the weird day that never ends, so I had booked us for nothing at all. We were free to roam.

First order of business, we were starving. We began our hike to the second-closest overground train stop, with our eyes constantly scanning for restaurants we could all agree on.

We hit the jackpot. There was this Italian pizzeria, super close by. The place was empty too, because who eats at three o’clock?

I never did figure out exactly what time Londoners do eat because it seems like we were always off their schedule.

This pizzeria offered gluten free options. I had a delicious salad, and I could have had pizza if I’d wanted it. They offer a cauliflower crust.

We were all happy, happy, happy.

Our trip from the airport had already involved half a dozen train changes, so we felt pretty comfortable on the train, but we were also tired of it and ready to get out and see London!

By the way, London trains are easy to use. You do not have to buy a special ticket. You can use your credit card as your ticket, to just scan right in and out. However, we needed older child tickets. For those you do have to buy a ticket, as it saves you money. Kids ten and under ride free. Older kids have reduced fares.

We decided to begin in Kensington, since it was the closest tourist area to our hotel.

Kensington Gardens surrounds Kensington Palace. We entered Kensington Gardens at the part which is actually an Embassy Row. Enormous embassies lined the streets. I asked later where the U.S. embassy is, as it wasn’t on this row. Apparently, the U.S. Embassy has its whole own compound in London, south of the Thames River.

I took zero photos of the embassies because there was a sign at the entrance to the street saying that no photos were allowed, so I was afraid to. Alan later said that just meant at the checkpoint. Drat. I should have known that.

It felt like we walked constantly from four o’clock until around seven o’clock.

My feet were killing me. Daniel’s orthopedic shoe insoles were giving him blisters, and everyone was dead exhausted by the end of it. I have to hand it to Daniel though. He never complained about the blisters. I didn’t realize he had them until the end of the night.

We walked from Kensington Gardens, past the small pond with beautiful swans, past the Prince Albert Memorial, and found ourselves a double decker London bus. Riding the bus for just a few stops gave our feet a short break.

We got off near the Hyde Park tunnel and still had so much walking to do, on the edges of Hyde Park, to get to Buckingham Palace. Maybe it wasn’t that far, but thanks to our feet problems and general exhaustion, we began sitting on benches every time we came to an open bench.

We had a surprisingly fun time sitting on benches on the outskirts of Hyde Park.

Finally, we came upon Buckingham Palace. I was excited, but I was equally excited to spot a snack stand. Joy of joys. Everyone but Alan had an ice cream. Alan bought a few waters. The rest of us felt that ice cream was most certainly a need. London was in a heat wave, and we were getting a work out, even with all of our bench sitting breaks.

Did you know that King Charles does not actually live at Buckingham Palace?

He lives primarily at Clarence House, which is next to St. James Palace. Buckingham Palace is still the administrative headquarters for the monarchy though.

The palace is so much bigger than it appears from the front. That building makes an entire square with a large courtyard in the middle. We only saw the front and one side.

After Buckingham Palace, we hoofed it over to the Parliament area.

We were determined to see Big Ben and Westminster Abbey before calling it quits on day one, and so we did. There were no sitting breaks at this point, and we got it allll in.

Once we’d hit all these must-sees, we basically just kept walking to see what we would happen upon.

We kept on trooping along, passing several interesting buildings and statues. We ended up at the Horse Guards parade ground.

Somewhere right past here (the above photo) we walked right by Downing Street without realizing it.

There were several memorials there too, and that is where we spotted the London Eye for the first time in our trip. Actually, I think that’s the only time I noticed it.

Then we kept on walking, until we hit the Boer War Memorial. It had steps, and the boys were drawn to those like a magnet. Once again, we were all sitting down.

At this point we were on a delightfully decorated street, which I’d never heard of. It is called The Mall. It is lined with UK flags. I thought it was one of the most splendid sights in London. We’d basically made a circle, walking around St. James Park. The Mall ends at Buckingham Palace. We were on the end closer to Trafalgar Square and Scotland Yard, but I certainly didn’t know any of that.

The thing was, we were all completely done with that day. Our four hour nap was nice and all, but it wasn’t quite enough. Plus, there was the blisters and the plantar fasciitis, and so much sweat. Ha!

At this point, the idea of finding a train station, walking to it, changing trains several times, and then walking a mile to our hotel, because the Mildmay line was down for repairs, was far too much for any of us.

Thankfully, Alan understood just how broken and out of juice our entire group was, and he ordered an Uber. Moments like these, when Alan rescues us in central London with an Uber, are moments when I love him the very most. He was a knight with shining iPhone, taking us for a ride on an Uber XL.

Our Uber ride was the most relaxing part of our day.

We drove past many of the same things we had seen earlier, plus so many beautiful store fronts! The car ride from central London to Chelsea was delightful.

No one really had dinner that night. I went straight to bed. Some of the boys ate some little crackers or junk in the hotel, I think. We all knocked out hard that night.

Caleb and JD shared a room for our two London nights, and those two got along better than anything I’ve ever seen. They are quite a happy duo. Being five years apart, JD calmly accepts Caleb’s leadership. Plus, they both prefer to live in peace. There are no sibling issues with these two. It’s funny how many different relationship dynamics you find in a big family.

Day one was an exhausting success. I was far more excited for day two!

For day two, I booked us tours at the Tower of London (castle) and the Prime Meridian Naval Observatory. I figured it’d be a day of less painful feet. (Wrong.)

Come back next week for my post on the Tower of London! It was one of my personal top two things we saw in England. I have read so many things and watched documentaries involving the Tower, and I’m so excited we got to go there! Plus the whole area around it is a vibrant place to visit.

For more travel inspiration, check out my vacation page.

The post London Day 1: Buckingham Palace and Finding Gluten Free Pizza! appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

This year our family’s over thirty years of vacationing at the grandparents’ condo in Miramar Beach comes to an end.

When I got engaged to my husband Alan in 2002, I took my very first trip to Miramar Beach. Alan’s mom, who we call Nonna now, took me to her parents’ condo. We walked on the beach, ate out, went shopping, and had a great time.

Nonna’s dad was a contractor. He built these condos in the 1970s. How cool is that? He built them, and he bought one for himself. It seems like he rarely visited the beachside getaway himself. Instead, Grandaddy and Grandma Cunningham kept this condo up so all of their children could enjoy the beach with their families.

They made summer vacation an affordable pursuit for all of us. Without this condo in Miramar Beach, I doubt many of us would have seen so many beach days.

Since the condo was built in the 1970s, Alan and his family and cousins and aunts and uncles have summered in Miramar for as long as Alan can remember.

When I discovered this place, it was pure magic.

I have always loved the beach! This place was perfect. It is across the street from the beach. In the earlier days, there were two pools. Now it’s one larger pool, very small child friendly.

There used to be a playground too, and for a while, a giant sandbox surrounded the playground. John David buried two of his Batman toys in that sandbox one year. He buried them so well nobody was ever able to find them again. JD’s sand obsession was kind of a problem for a few years there.

Joshua went down the slide on that playground a million times the year he was a toddler with no younger brother. He had our full attention for about twenty months. After that, things got crazier and crazier.

There were so many wonderful years. Let’s go through all of them and start at the beginning. Don’t you love it when stories are told in order?

Let’s start with Alan’s early years of going to Miramar Beach. Throwing it back to the 1980s/early 1990s.

Alan’s mom and her sister, Janet, used to take their kids to the beach together every year. Doesn’t that sound fun? Cousins really are your original built in friends.

And then in 2002, Alan and I got married and we established our own family beach traditions.

But my first trip to the family condo was actually with Alan’s mom. I think Alan was away on an Army assignment. I remember well how amazing I thought the condo was that very first visit. I mean, wow! Imagine having a beach house you can go stay at every year for free.

To quote an adorable preschool boy I overheard at the condo pool a few years ago, “Is this life?”

My heart melted when I heard him ask his mom that, as they sat on the side of the pool, literally enjoying life. I feel that too when I am relaxing by the pool or the beach.

2002

My second condo trip was far less relaxing, but quite exciting. Alan and I were married by then. Alan was stationed in Oklahoma for five months for training. Meanwhile, I was finishing up my degree at the University of Alabama.

One weekend, Alan was the best man in his college roommate Tom’s wedding. Alan flew into Destin for the wedding. Alan’s sister and I drove down from Birmingham to join him and attend the wedding. We all three stayed at the condo together.

I think Amy and I drove into Destin especially late at night that weekend. Then the wedding was the next night. All I know for sure is somehow we were both extremely sleep deprived. I don’t know why exactly we were so tired.

On our drive back from Destin to Birmingham, we could not drive safely or think straight because we were so sleepy. We pulled off whatever highway we were driving on, found a small church parking lot, and conked out. I don’t know how long we slept, probably twenty minutes. It was long enough to survive driving the rest of the way home.

2003

In 2003, Alan flew off to Iraq. He didn’t get to lounge by the beach that year. For Mother’s Day weekend, Nonna and Amy invited my mom and me to join them for some Destin shopping and Mother’s Day photos. Pretty cool, huh?

2004

When Alan came home from Iraq, and got all of his required return-home-sanity classes done, we headed to Destin. Alan and I basically set up housekeeping for ten days at the condo. We entertained family and friends there and enjoyed all that Miramar Beach has to offer without a care in the world. This is how we did the beach back when we had no children. I cannot even remember what that was like.

My mom, Aunt Ann, and Melony even came by and visited. They got in some pool time. Then Ann regretted sitting quite so close to the water.

I love Ann so much. Finding these pictures was such a blessing. Ann passed away in the fall of 2023, and this was such a humongous loss to our family. I haven’t been able to bring myself to blog about Ann yet, but someday soon I will. It’s just hard.

I stayed at the condo when I went to Jennings’ beach wedding. I think that was 2004.

2006

In 2006, Joshua was still in his first year of life, and the photos are a preciousness overload. I love these so much.

2007

We had to go to the beach early that year. I knew once we had a newborn it would be too challenging. We went in March, and I was six months pregnant with Caleb.

The condo was booked, as the “snowbirds” were staying there. We are creatures of habit though, so we booked ourselves another condo at the same place, right across the pool from Alan’s grandparents’ condo. It was a smaller one, with only one bedroom, on the bottom floor only. The small condo was perfect for us in those days though. Joshua slept in a pack and play in the living room, and all was well.

This next photo is hilarious to me. It was back when the vendor in front of the condos rented bicycles, not just motor vehicles. We rented ourselves a tandem bike with a bike trailer. Poor Joshua might not have enjoyed his bike ride as much as we did.

2008

Somewhere down there, we found a Gulfarium. We got to see parrots and dolphin shows, and it was a great place. I don’t know if it is even still there.

I remember Alan and I managed to squeeze in one last beach trip that year before he was off to Iraq again.

This story, y’all!

The photo above with baby Caleb and Joshua in the little pool is a key moment. that was right after, or right before, Caleb picked up a whole, live, beta fish, and put it in his mouth!!

You see Alan out there, bent over in the ocean? He had a bucket, with which he scooped up a beta fish. Then he put it in the baby pool, and the baby went right to work with his chubby little hands. He was determined to catch that fish, and he did! Then he tried to eat the fish!!! We laughed so hard that day. I mean there was a moment of panic, but we got the fish out, and then we laughed.

When I saw this photo, and as I pass the outlet malls down there, I feel a twinge of sadness. I forgot about how I used to get to go shopping on vacation. Can we bring that back? I have not done that in ten years, at least.

2009

In 2009, Alan was in Iraq. Dad and Mom and my brother came down and visited us for the day while we were staying at the condo. Back then, my dad had a bay boat he used to love to take out fishing in Florida.

That was an incredible day. Number one, I love boating. For another thing, my parents were a consistent part of our parenting team during the second Iraq deployment. It was wonderful to get to share this with them and take the boys out on their first boat ride.

Caleb had a little trouble with seasickness, and then he fell asleep. Joshua, on the other hand, was old enough to thoroughly enjoy to the boat ride, playing water guns, and stopping on an island and looking around for seashells.

2012

Summer 2012 was an extra exciting beach year. Alan returned home from Afghanistan in April of 2012. We did several fun family things that year, to include this beach trip.

I worked so hard that summer to get back in shape. I remember walking on the beach each morning, feeling ecstatic that my size 12 Bermuda shorts were falling down loose on me.

I spent the winter of 2011-12 living with my parents until Alan got back from Afghanistan, and I had consumed an ungodly amount of chocolate chip cookies. Dad and I had ourselves a ball buying the dough at Sam’s and making cookies. Poor Mom had to go to work everyday, and we were at home baking and playing with babies. That was before gluten turned against me.

2015

For 2015, we made time for the condo again. Even though we lived in California, the beach there was not the same. You cannot beat the Emerald Coast with its white sand, warm weather, and aquamarine water.

I swear we were more fun and adventurous when we were younger. Nowadays, we go to the pool, the ocean, and a restaurant or two. Back then we’d go to malls, movies, and we even checked out the Harbor Walk Village.

2016

In 2016, we moved back to the South, and we went to Disney World. I have no idea how we found time to go to the condo too, but I found this photo from 2016:

I don’t know what year they reconstructed the pool, but it was definitely done by 2016. JD destroyed that poor Woody doll between all the sand, the pool, and the markers. But if Woody’s goal was to be played with, he was the happiest toy ever.

2017

I remember taking so many boys to the beach and the pool used to be so much work. It was draining and hard, but I always knew it was important and it was worth it. The photos and the memories are glorious preciousness and I love it so much. Now when we go it’s so much easier. No one even runs away when I whip out the sunscreen. It’s too easy.

2018

I know Alyson’s kids used to enjoy that float too. We all shared it for years. That storage closet of floats and buckets was so awesome. After a few years, the favorite float died, and we were all sad to see it go. There is an awesome new one down there though that is basically a boat!

In 2018, we were moving again, so the fact we even made it to the beach was a miracle.

2019

I remember this trip well because it was a moving year and the summer of my 20th high school reunion. Before the reunion, we went to the beach. We were kind of between houses. I think we’d moved our stuff but had not really unpacked it all yet.

In earlier years, we used to always go to Destin Commons at some point for either a movie, a Bass Pro Shop visit, or Barnes & Noble. Look at how nicely they all used to read. We aren’t as good about that as we used to be.

2020

In 2020, we didn’t make it to the beach until August. We all remember what a disaster that year was.

2021

After a year of solid quarantine in Maryland, it was extra special to go down to Florida and get to live life free and mask-less. The strict, drawn out lockdown policies in Maryland were a real downer.

2022

In 2022, we were again in the middle of a move. I didn’t take as many pictures that year.

I always make everyone take at least one evening walk on the shore. JD and Joshua usually throw the football the whole time as they are walking. It sounds impossible, but they make it work. In fact, I’ve been dragging everyone out on these evening beach walks for so long, I think they are starting to like it.

My mom laughed and laughed in 2022, when I told the boys, “Okay, everybody let’s go to the beach!”

And they said, “Nooooo!!!”

Sometimes, I think maybe their life may have been a little too exciting because they seem to crave low-key, couch time.

Alan isn’t much better about it than the kids. He was excited about chillin’ in the condo too. We were out walking on the beach that night, and Alan turned to me and said, “Is this what you wanted?
What do you do with a bunch of homebodies on vacation? It’s hilarious. I laughed and laughed. We now say that all the time whenever we go anywhere at all. “Is this what you wanted??”

2024

Many years we manage to get Nana to come down for a day or a night. We always enjoy that, and I think it’s good for Nana too. Wouldn’t it be great if we could just go to the beach all the time??

I’m proud to report that everyone went to the beach without complaining in 2024. They were all good, energetic sports this year.

I think 2024 was the year everyone in the family was most excited to go. Everyone expressed their regrets that this was our last time at the condo.

When Grandaddy passed away, we knew no one else would be able to afford to keep it up for everyone. The condo has to be sold at the end of this summer. It will always hold a special place in our hearts and memories. I have no idea what we will do for summer vacations from now on! I guess we will all have to try some new things. That’s fine too.

But for now, it’s an end of an era, and we are all so grateful for the time we shared at Seacove Condominiums in Miramar Beach.

I hope everyone in the family (and it’s quite a large family) gets to enjoy the condo one last time this year!

The post Over 35 Years of Miramar Beach appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

I am certainly no expert in this field. I don’t know about you, but I have three teenagers and need all the help I can get. Whether your teenager identifies as “anxious” or not, chances are they will have times where they absolutely are anxious. I think it’s unavoidable.

Our mental health expert is here to provide us with tips on how we can help our teenagers.

The teenage years can be some of the best and the most testing times of your life.

This is the time of gaining independence and self-discovery. It is the time to explore platonic relationships and consider what you want to be, and who you want to be with. Teenagers are often looking for a place at school, in their homes, and the world as a whole.

This is also the most confusing time for a teen to learn more about their bodies, life, and the world. Parents often find it hard to communicate with teens about anything, and when teens start hiding their anxiety, it could become even more difficult to tackle the situation. 

It is not possible to force teens to tell us what is wrong even when we can see them struggle.

You might hear them complain about physical ailments, or some refuse to go to school and even have emotional meltdowns due to little stress. There could be many reasons behind them not admitting what they are going through inside.

Even your anxiety and fears could become a barrier to communication.

This is why you must ensure that you are not too angry or emotional as your teen will not talk to you and this could alienate them. 

It is also possible that you are at a loss for words after you discuss or demand them to tell you what is wrong. You must remember that your little one is growing up and they are no longer a child. There will be times when you won’t know what to say to them, but you need to have a balance of support, comfort, and even action that can help communicate with your teenager. 

Anxious teens are different from anxious kids

Parents need to remember that an anxious teen is very different from an anxious child. As kids, children tend to worry about monsters, or the dark or dinosaurs. But as they grow up, they start worrying about themselves. They might be worried that they do not look cool enough, or they are not doing well in school, or they could be worried about what people think of them.

As they grow, they also start to worry about their bodies, and many teens struggle for years. If their anxiety is not addressed on time, it could get worse. Panic attacks and social anxiety are two things that usually start in the teenage years, and you will see kids who were never anxious suddenly become very self-conscious and anxious as teens. 

There are no specific symptoms you can identify since they vary from one to another. It can also become hard to notice anxiety since teenagers are good at hiding their feelings, and many like to avoid things. But pushing it under the carpet will not help. Anxiety doesn’t go away like that, and some also start a habit of alcohol or marijuana to feel less anxious, but they become highly dependent on it.

If you avoid it for too long, it can lead to depression too. Treating teen mental health issues is possible and as a parent, if you are worried about your anxious teenager, here are three different ways you can try talking to them so that they listen.

Here’s how you can help.

Empathize

Your child is no longer five, and as a teen, they want to be independent, validated, and understood. They are navigating different aspects of life, and it isn’t easy for them. Whenever your teen tells you something illogical or seems strange, do not lash out at them.

Take a deep breath and try putting yourself in their shoes. Show them that you get it. Show them that you heard what they said, and you are there to discuss more. Do not give advice straightaway but use encouraging words and ask them why they are feeling a certain way. Talking with your teen on this topic will need patience. You must never judge them or make them feel that their emotions do not matter. 

Relate

The best way to connect with your teen is to relate your experiences. They will feel more understood if you can talk about the similar experiences you went through. Talk about your insecurity, your challenges, and what you went through in high school. Make them understand that their feelings are normal, and every teenager has some form of insecurity.

Teens often look at us as people who will never understand their situation, but you must prove them wrong. You need to humanize yourself and keep the doors of communication open. If you don’t, they will shut off completely and look for different ways to cope with the situation.

Ask

If you know your teenager is anxious, you must make it a point to check in on them regularly. Look out for symptoms and always keep the conversations open. Whenever you hear something alarming, be calm. If you react emotionally, it could scare your teen, and they might stop sharing things with you. Whenever they talk to you, have an open conversation, and comfort them. Reassure them that you will figure it out together, and if you feel that their anxiety is unmanageable, you might want to seek professional help. 

Seek help

Normalize taking help for anxiety and ensure that there is no shame attached to it. Look for a therapist who can handle anxiety in teenagers and talk to your teen about how therapy works. Ensure that they are comfortable with the step you are taking, and do not force them until they are ready.

Assure them that it will work for their good and visiting a therapist does not mean that they are crazy. The right therapist will help them get to the root of the cause and could also improve the communication gap. 

Tackling anxiety in teens is easier said than done, but as a parent, you must give them complete support and always allow open communication. 

The post Tips for Talking to an Anxious Teenager appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

Today I have a guest post for you on the topic of important considerations for your homeschooling decision.

This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart, as we have homeschooled at our house several different years, in a couple of different ways. There was so much that went into this decision.

Our expert today is here to share with us what we should think about when we are making this important decision.

Going to school is the norm for most children. However, it doesn’t always have to be. Homeschooling is the legal alternative to sending your kid to a traditional school.

In homeschooling, you can enable teachers to educate your children at home. While some parents opt for homeschooling due to their religious beliefs, it is also an excellent way to provide your child with a flexible learning environment.

However, homeschooling is not for everyone, so before you opt for this style of education for your child, you should consider a few factors. Just because it works for me doesn’t mean it might work for everyone.

Did you know that the homeschooled population in the U.S. has been growing at an estimated rate of 2 to 8% per year?

The benefits of homeschooling are why many parents, including myself, prefer it over the traditional method of education. I

If you also wish to enter the world of homeschooling, you should consider the following factors:

1.    Your Schedule:

The most important thing about homeschooling that you must understand is that it is a full-time job. You will have to commit to homeschooling if you decide to go for this method of education. You must also do regular research to plan your child’s curriculum.

As a homeschooling parent, I have had to create and maintain a structured schedule for my child. You will also have to plan lessons, teach, grade assignments, and handle administrative tasks. 

2.    Your Educational Background:

In homeschools, parents are the primary educators of their children. Although you don’t need a degree to homeschool your child, you must be knowledgeable. You can take online courses to supplement your knowledge if you need more aspects. I have also attended workshops to improve my knowledge and be the best educator for my child. There is also plenty of guiding material online for parents who are new to homeschooling. 

3.    Your Child’s Personality:

A child’s personality can help you determine their learning style. I figured out the best way to educate my children by observing them. As a homeschooling parent, you must focus on providing your child with an environment that promotes growth. To accomplish that, consider whether your child prefers a hands-on approach or lecturing. Another factor to consider is whether they thrive in social settings or prefer to learn alone. 

Taking care of your child’s mental health is also important for building their personality. You can also look into pediatric therapy services in Central KY if you’re from that area and if your child needs professional assistance. You can also find pediatric therapy centers in almost every city if you aren’t in that local area.

4.    Financial Considerations:

Homeschooling is much more affordable than traditional schooling. However, it requires an initial investment in supplies, books, and curriculum. If you wish to become a homeschooling parent, you might also have to quit your job. So, before you decide to homeschool your child, take a look at your finances. Only opt for homeschooling if you are financially ready for it. 

5.    Socialization Opportunities:

Children get plenty of socialization opportunities in a traditional school. However, we can’t say the same about homeschooled children. For a child to grow into a confident adult, they must socialize with their peers.

As a homeschooling parent, you will have to provide socialization opportunities to your child. There are plenty of clubs, homeschool groups, and community activities that your children can participate in. Homeschool groups can also provide support and guidance to us parents. 

6.    Homeschooling Laws & Regulations:

Each state in the U.S. has its own rules and regulations regarding homeschooling. You may have to register with the state, keep a record of attendance, and submit test scores. If you want to avoid problems later, learn about the regulations beforehand. Finding out about my state’s rules regarding homeschooling helped me a lot as a parent. By following the laws set in place by the state, I could focus on providing my child with quality education. 

Advantages of Homeschooling:

The following advantages of homeschooling are why more and more parents in the U.S. are opting for this method of education: 

·      Safe Environment:

One of the biggest plus of homeschooling for me was being able to protect my child from things like peer pressure and bullying. The negative aspects of a traditional school can be detrimental to a child’s mental health. As a result, 1.9 million American children are currently studying in a safe and controlled environment. 

·      Stronger Connection with Family:

Students of public schools in the U.S. spend 6 to 7 hours a day away from home. Even after coming home, they rarely get to spend quality time with their families due to schoolwork. The situation can be reversed with homeschooling.

Through homeschooling, you can build a strong bond with your children. By spending the majority of your time with your child every day, you can build a strong family connection. Your children will also find it easier to come to you with their problems if they have a strong bond with you. 

·      Flexible Schedule: 

In traditional schools, all students are required to follow the same schedule. However, in reality, every child has a different learning speed. If children are forced to change their learning speed, they end up hating to study. With homeschooling, you can design a flexible schedule for your child according to their needs. Flexible schedules also help improve a child’s learning ability. 

Disadvantages of Homeschooling: 

Homeschooling also has a few disadvantages that you must be aware of: 

·      Isolating: 

Homeschooling can be an isolating experience for both parents and children. You will be unable to meet and connect with other parents if you homeschool your child. Your child will also miss out on connecting with their peers. 

·      Limited Socialization: 

Although you can find socialization opportunities for your homeschooled child, they are only sometimes enough. Limited socialization opportunities can impact the personality development of an extrovert child. 

·      Hectic Routine for Parents: 

Homeschooling can be harder than a full-time job with a heavy workload. You will have to research the curriculum and create lesson plans. Make sure you are ready to take on the heavy workload before choosing homeschooling. 

Final Thoughts:

Homeschooling can be a great way to bond with your child and protect them from the dangers of a traditional school. There are also plenty of resources to help parents who are thinking of homeschooling their children. However, make sure to weigh the pros and cons of homeschooling before you make the final call about your child’s future.

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