One mum shares her ‘controversial travel rules’.
In many different ways, we tell our children to hurry up, catch up, stop dawdling, or grow up, but it’s all becoming too much, too much for the children and too much for us.
Isn’t it time to slow down, let the little ones enjoy being little, savour each moment of each day with them, through every stage of their childhood years? Time goes by so fast, and most of us who are the parents of adult children long to go back, even for just one day, to when our children looked up to us, needed us, and truly adored us.
One woman who is determined not to let the young years gallop past swallowed up by the manic pace of modern life, is Emily de le Torre, better known on social media as the ‘Mindful_Madre.’
‘Controversial travel rules from a family therapist’
Emily has built a strong social media following through content focused on conscious parenting, homeschooling, and creating a more balanced family lifestyle.
Across platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, she shares advice to help parents create calmer routines, support children’s emotional well-being, and embrace a slower pace of life at home.
Much of her content focuses on child development, emotional awareness, and encouraging stronger family connections.
Emily is also understood to have a professional background in therapy and mental health counselling, which has influenced many of the parenting discussions she shares online.
Her profile has grown further through podcast interviews and online conversations about modern parenting pressures, in which she has spoken about the importance of reducing overstimulation and giving children more time to simply be children.
Now, in one of her latest posts, Emily documents travelling the world with her two children, and the way it works best for them.
Emily is convinced that we can do epic things with our kids and still stay grounded. The kids can learn on the hoof, as it were, travelling around Europe as they are at the moment, and taking the time to enjoy the slower pace of life, and stopping to literally ‘smell the roses.’
Emily describes her travel rules as ‘controversial’ but says they work for her and her family. She believes we can instill grit in our children, while allowing some discomfort, teach gratitude, and demonstrate that everything is earned.
Travelling can deepen cultural tolerance and respect, and as the Mindful Madre says, ‘This is simply how we have approached travel and what we have found to be successful when travelling with our U.S.-born kids under 8 in Europe, South and Central America.
Some of her advice will surprise many parents, such as encouraging kids to speak with strangers ‘when in settings together’ and it’s fair to say this is a controversial outlook. However, other rules such as allowing her kids to feel bored, discussing everything they experience as a family and getting them to try new foods in the countries they visit do make a lot of sense.
What do you think of these travel rules?
