I planned a road trip to attend my brother’s baby shower in Corona, California, the same week my three kids — entering preschool, third grade, and eighth grade — started school.
Since I’m based in Phoenix and my brother lives about 6.5 hours away, driving there is a commitment. I wanted to make the trip count by tacking on some beach time and adventuring, too.
I debated the decision.
School started on a Tuesday. My kids attended the first day, then I pulled them out on Wednesday morning to drive to California, with plans to return late Monday evening. Since they attend a hybrid school and learn from home on Fridays and Mondays, they only had to miss two days of in-person learning.
Still, I debated it. Those first few days of school are important for establishing routines and setting the tone for the year. But ultimately, I decided to let them miss two days.
I’m far from the only parent willing to make that trade-off. A new survey of 1,000 parents found that 91% of parents would or have pulled their kids out of school to travel. More than a quarter (28%) said it’s just as educational as traditional classroom time, while 44% said missing a few days is worth it for the meaningful family time. And I wholeheartedly agree.
The Channel Islands were our first stop.
While researching for this trip, I discovered Channel Islands National Park off the coast of Ventura, an island chain sometimes referred to as “Galapagos of the West” because of its unique wildlife, including the little red island foxes found nowhere else in the world.
The islands are also connected to one of my favorite books from when I was growing up, “Island of the Blue Dolphins” by Scott O’ Dell. Before we left, my daughter read O’ Dell’s book, and I told her the account of Juana Maria (also known as the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island), the Nicoleño Native American woman who inspired the story.
We took an hour-ish boat ride to the islands and stood at the bow nearly the entire time, watching for whales and sharks. We didn’t see either, but two pods of dolphins swam up to the boat.
We saw dolphins from our boat and enjoyed a long hike.
Once on the island, my third grader was fascinated by the information about the Nicoleño people in the visitor center because she’d just finished the book.
My older son, meanwhile, was thoroughly entertained by the Island Scrub-Jay, a rare blue bird found only on the island of Santa Cruz. He loved giving me a play-by-play of what one was doing, marveling that the birds are native to the islands.
We also talked with other visitors from around the world and hiked two miles — a lesson in endurance and observing the natural world.
We visited other coastal cities, too.
After the islands, my husband flew in to join the trip, and we headed for Santa Barbara for a day. As we walked around, we talked about the city’s Spanish architecture, the history of colonization, and the California mission system.
Connecting our visit back to the Lone Woman, who was eventually brought to Santa Barbara after living alone on San Nicolas Island for 18 years, but died only about seven weeks later, opened up another conversation about the devastating effects European diseases had on Indigenous populations.
In nearby Montecito, we visited Godmother’s, a charming bookstore where we settled into the children’s section to read about another local woman who cleaned up a beach daily and inspired others to do the same, a lesson on how small actions can protect the environment.
The baby shower itself was important, too. Showing up for our family, celebrating together, and staying to clean up afterward modeled to our kids that this is how we “do” relationships.
Afterward, we drove to Huntington Beach, known as Surf City USA, for two nights, where my eldest son took a surf lesson. Watching him catch waves and learn a new skill felt surreal.
I’ll keep pulling my kids out of school for experiences like these.
Yes, my kids missed two days of traditional classroom learning. In exchange, they connected literature to real life, learned about history, encountered wildlife found nowhere else in the world, persevered through a long (by their standards) hike, and learned to surf.
I don’t take missing school lightly. But for moments like these? It’s worth it.
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