GypsySpirit 
While enjoying a month of nomadic activity in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic I have been breaking up with my children.
The plan from earlier this year was to only break up with one of the three kids that are still living at home. Not really kids anymore. Two are legal adults. The second break up was supposed to happen in January 2023.
I just separated from Josiah, my 20 yo, who attends university in Winter Park, Florida. The area I just left for an indefinite period of time.
The only thing left there is him, our 2 family dogs and a storage. He’s the one living with roommates now in off campus student housing with the 2 dogs. He’s not new to the area as we lived there from 2013 to 2015 and Isis and Josiah were both born there. It’s our family’s third time living in Florida for a short period of time.
My daughter Isis who’s 18 plans to go to Savannah, GA in January 2023 to attend a college of arts and design. However, due to unexpected circumstances the break up came earlier than we planned.
She left 2 weeks early to our next destination, Puerto Rico. She’s there with my oldest son, Tristan, 26 yo. She also has her paternal grandmother there that she’s visiting for the first time in the island. Her plan, however, in a couple of weeks is to be in California with friends and work to save money until she leaves to college in Savannah in January.
So, I went through 2 breakups in a span of 2 weeks 🙁
Also, Jovan my 15 yo who’s traveling with me is not sure he wants to keep traveling, even though he was really interested in it when we discussed it a gazillion times. That’s what it’s like parenting a teenager.
You never know what’s coming.
It’s unpredictable, unstable, and “roller coastery” (stealing this phrase from my tarot lady).
So, I went from having 3 children left at home to 1.
I always wanted to show my kids that there’s a WHOLE world out there that is our playground. There are so many things to see, people to meet, and experiences to have! Lots of smart people are now aware of how traveling is so much better than a traditional education. You learn about the world by experiencing it, not just reading or hearing about it.
If I had it my way right now I would travel back in time and take my kids out of US in 2012 like I really wanted to. I regret not doing so. I wish I had exposed them to other cultures, languages, cuisines and just so much more internationally.
I don’t think there’s anything like getting out of your comfort zone and traveling to places to experience the culture shock.
I wish I would have made them experience that when they were still little in 2012 and I was contemplating it. Looking back it would’ve saved them so much heartache from some things that transpired during the divorce.
Another good reason to travel or move out of the US when your kids are young is that they won’t develop a lot of the bad American habits. We’re raised to be entitled and it’s so engraved in us Americans from so early. You don’t see how bad it is until you experience other cultures.
The world is a huge place. If you’re able to, you should explore it.
Even though Jovan is not leaving me yet (that I know of. He’s currently just expressing some thoughts and emotions about traveling) I’m still going through a sort of break up with him too just because he’s 15. A fellow soccer mom I met said her kids turning into teenagers was like going through a divorce and she was so right. They go from innocent, optimistic children to these pessimistic, moody, downright rude, and sometimes even nasty beings. It’s what teenage years are. In our modern society anyway.
This person who admired you and adored you and worshipped the ground you walked on, now can’t stand you. They don’t want to hear ANYTHING you have to say. They don’t want your opinion, your directions or your advice. All of a sudden they know it all. Let’s not talk about when they turn 18 which is what I’m going through with my daughter right now. I didn’t go through the 18itis with my two oldest ones.
I still speak my mind to them. I don’t care if they don’t want to hear it. I know that someday those words will play back in their head like a rewound 80’s cassette tape and they’ll say “mom was right!” I’ve already seen it happen many times.
It still doesn’t take away the pain of breaking up with your once sweet, innocent, loving child.
To be honest my kids are still awesome even during those pesky teenage and young adult years. They’re great kids. They hardly gave me any trouble. One of them gave me none. Two of them gave me a little bit of trouble. Isis being the most recent one with a situation she got herself into. While she was 17. I thought I escaped unscathed from the 15, 16 year old drama.
Nope.
It came at 17 and manifested ugly things at 18. She’s better now but still in recovery mode, hence, the not getting along for a little while there.
So one break up is metaphoric with Jovan. Two are actual physical breakups with Josiah and Isis.
All I can say is “this too shall pass.”
The phases of life….(sigh)
