Daddy, have you been to Sweden?

“Daddy, have you been to Sweden?” our 6 year old asked from the back seat. It would seem a ridiculous question on the surface and it is, but my first reaction was, ‘how did you know’?  Our son is not some 6 year old travel savant; he was merely asking random questions. The second thing that popped into my head was “how do you even know about Sweden?”

It was then that I remembered that we discussed world geography and read maps when he was just a baby. But that discussion couldn’t be the reason for his question now could it? For the record, Sweden is great, we spent a couple weeks there and loved every minute of it, but how was it that our son was asking us about it now?

The second thing that popped into my mind was that he was prompted by my wife. However, that thought quickly went the way of the Dodo. I imagined our son with my dossier, certain life moments highlighted with the entire document peppered with his Phineas & Ferb scribblings and practice writings.

Five minutes before the Sweden question.

“Daddy, I want to go to Paris”, our very eager 6 year old armchair traveler announced from the back seat. I thought for a second as to why he would want to go to Paris, but before I could go any further he said, even louder than the first announcement. “I want to see the lights.” How did he know that Paris is nicknamed the City of Lights? Is that what he meant by that? Where is he learning these things? Was I as knowledgeable as him when I was his age?

Two minutes before the Paris statement.

We were driving around nearby neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights. The potentially loud, sometimes garish, other times classy lights, inflatables and orbs that inhibit suburbia from November to early January. It took a couple of years, but we drink the Christmas light up juice now. We have a couple animals and Star Wars figures that get bigger with air, white deer whose silhouette gives the chipmunk’s location away and other seasonal lights around the house.

It’s what you do in the suburbs with children. I rolled my eyes at it initially, but now I embrace it and look forward to the labyrinth of green extension cords in our front yard. We do it for the kids, ours love it, and their friends ride past the house to look at them and when we purchased the 6” Yoda blow up it was all the rage the next day at the bus stop.

How our neighborhood ride along to see the Christmas lights let to an international travel wish list and query is only one that the mind of a 6 year old can explain. Regardless, I explained to him that I had been to Sweden, as well as Paris and recommended for him to visit there also.

I’ve told our kids that we’re taking a family trip to Japan and Italy. Granted, they don’t know that it’s a ten year plan for that trip, but we talk about it sometimes when I’m driving. Our youngest appears to have my wife’s intelligence (which is high) and my sense of observation. Experience is a great teacher and I arguably learned more from traveling than I did in school.

Feed the beast. I’ll never know how he knew about Sweden, why he asked if I’d been there or why he wants to visit Paris. That night reminded me that as much of a 100% parent I am now, I was previously someone else. That person had interests and hobbies other than watching the parking lot for cars, cleaning up the candy wrappers in the back seat and trying to figure out who exactly drew on the wall.