Pirate Dude's Summer Holiday Plans

I'm always surprised when people ask how much the kids understand about the move. They listen to EVERYthing, even if they aren't talking about it.
We include our kids in all discussions about our family's future, and if this school assignment isn't proof that they listen, I don't know what is. Our then 7-year-old outlined his summer plans for when we moved from Beijing, China, back to the United States.

Image description: child’s white poster hanging on a light blue wall. It reads:
Summer Holiday Plan (with a happy sun drawing). Each step to his plan is spelled a little wrong and has a pencil drawing that illustrates it.
1. 3:00 I will eat breakfast.

2. 11:00 I will pack up.

3. 9:00 Go on the plane.

4. 1:00 My new house.

5. 2:00 I unpack.

6. 3:00 I will get a car.

7. 6:00 I will go to sleep.

He isn't wrong that it will all feel like it will take place in one day. Thanks to timezones, we depart at 2:05pm and land at 2pm the same day.

I love seeing our big family changes from the perspective of the kids. It’s hard and complicated sometimes to explain the world to them, but my husband and I embrace the nuance and grey areas.