We visit family abroad each year. Though there's a time difference and a lot of planning (and et lag!) involved, it does make a difference to have cousins around to play with our kid and to get some adult time (and meals made by family members - no groceries to get, no cooking, no clean up!). It feels like we've gone back in time to dating/honeymoon time when we were kid-free. And we get all the feels from being around family again, in our old hood (we met abroad and lived with and very near my husband's family). This is a great idea, glad it works out for your families!
Your vacation sounds like a very healthy old-school approach to connection and cooperation. It makes me wonder how far this type of arrangement could scale, with the demands of “normal” life. More and more I read about creative decisions for collective living, and they make a lot of sense in many ways. What if you could build this with kindred spirits?
Thanks, Erica! Agreed, it does feel like this collective living arrangement has its benefits, probably far beyond what we’ve touched on in the context of vacations. Across the world, people live much more communally than we do in the US, where we (obviously) adopt more of an individualistic mindset. But a lesser version of communal living, I think, would be something we are attempting this year. For the most part, we’ve enrolled our kids in after-school activities with friends so we can carpool to almost all of them. Even that element of collective care can alleviate so much stress! Thank you for reading.
Also, re: Douglas’ article on investing in the tariff era - it bummed me out to see the growth of things like uranium and nuclear ETFs, alongside cryptocurrencies. Take me back to the beach, please, where we are know peace with our feet, if not heads, in the sand.
We visit family abroad each year. Though there's a time difference and a lot of planning (and et lag!) involved, it does make a difference to have cousins around to play with our kid and to get some adult time (and meals made by family members - no groceries to get, no cooking, no clean up!). It feels like we've gone back in time to dating/honeymoon time when we were kid-free. And we get all the feels from being around family again, in our old hood (we met abroad and lived with and very near my husband's family). This is a great idea, glad it works out for your families!
That whole experience sounds lovely!!!
Your vacation sounds like a very healthy old-school approach to connection and cooperation. It makes me wonder how far this type of arrangement could scale, with the demands of “normal” life. More and more I read about creative decisions for collective living, and they make a lot of sense in many ways. What if you could build this with kindred spirits?
Thanks, Erica! Agreed, it does feel like this collective living arrangement has its benefits, probably far beyond what we’ve touched on in the context of vacations. Across the world, people live much more communally than we do in the US, where we (obviously) adopt more of an individualistic mindset. But a lesser version of communal living, I think, would be something we are attempting this year. For the most part, we’ve enrolled our kids in after-school activities with friends so we can carpool to almost all of them. Even that element of collective care can alleviate so much stress! Thank you for reading.
Also, re: Douglas’ article on investing in the tariff era - it bummed me out to see the growth of things like uranium and nuclear ETFs, alongside cryptocurrencies. Take me back to the beach, please, where we are know peace with our feet, if not heads, in the sand.