Journalist and author, Julie Cook shares how taking one of her kids on vacation at a time has allowed her to bond well with her kids, however, not many agree with her point and this has sparked an online debate.
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A mom-of-two has sparked an online debate after sharing her unusual ritual of taking one of her kids on vacation at a time.
In her first-person account on Metro UK journalist and author, Julie Cook revealed the reason why she chooses to take only one of her children on vacation at a time.
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Cook, who has a son and a daughter, wrote: "I like to holiday one-on-one with my children."
"The first time was in 2018. My son Alex was then 10 and my daughter Adriana was five. I'd spent five years giving her the most attention as she was the youngest and realized Alex and I had not spent any quality time together in ages," Cook said.
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"So, I booked us a trip for just the two of us to Venice – just like Beckham," she added, seemingly in reference to Beckham's vacation in early Summer this year, when he went with his daughter Harper to Venice - just the two of them.
David Beckham took to Instagram to document their sweet father-daughter vacation, posting a variety of images of the pair bonding in the picturesque city (most of which have since been deleted).
The mom recounted her experiences of vacation, especially one time when she went to Italy with her son, writing about how she was able to properly spend quality time with him - this allowed her to "get to know him - properly - all over again."
"I was able to listen to him talking without being interrupted. By the end of our four days I felt like I knew him – properly – all over again. I know it might sound obvious, but it's important to stay tuned into who your kids are. It's far too easy to lump them into the generic ‘my kids’ but they are indeed individuals, which is often hard to see when you're lumped together as a family of four," she revealed.
In 2021, the historical non-fiction author decided it was her daughter's turn, taking her on a trip to Paris: "I felt she was now an age where she too could learn a thing or two from culture, a trip alone together and long chats."
Describing her one-on-one trip with her daughter, Adriana, Cook wrote: "I took her to Paris on our own in October 2021. We walked down the Champs Élysées eyeing the posh shops, we ate chocolate crepes at the edge of the Seine, I sat with other French mothers as she played in the play park near the Louvre and we went up the Eiffel Tower at dusk together."
Following the online debate, Cook clarified that her family all take time away together as well - about once a year.
To conclude her piece, Cook writes that taking time away with her children one-on-one has enabled her to learn more about them in several days than she does in "a lifetime at home," simply because she is able to center her attention on one individual rather than two.
"Over a meal together somewhere far away, kids open up more and you can have a proper conversation," Cook explained.