The summer of 2023 was an eventful one for my family, which included traveling with my then 6-year-old nephew Yusuf, aka Yusy. His father flew him to Baltimore from Chicago so he could travel with us to New York City. My daughters and I have always loved visiting the city, so we began a tradition by traveling with Yusy. Now that my own children are older, my experience with Yusy gave me a different perspective than when I was a mother. I always enjoyed being with my children but being older, and more aware of parenthood, my travel with Yusy gave me such joy but I also learned some life “lessons.”

1. **The Joy of Simplicity**: Children often find happiness in the simplest of activities, which can be a great reminder for adults. Although Yusy is very bougie, he loved experiencing the train ride, snacks and walking around in such a big, busy city.

2. **Creativity and Imagination**: Yusy is at the age of extreme curiosity and imagination. Our conversations revolved around serious topics about our family, including his favorite topics of books, YouTube, and eating!

3. **Learning New Things**: Yusy being on the trip opened opportunities for him to learn new things. He LOVES history just like his Amto (Amto means aunt from his father’s side, since I am his father’s sister). He wanted to go see the Statue Of Liberty and was engrossed in the stories of the statue, the building of the island and the significance of the statue. Of course we had to visit the gift shop, so he bought a pocket watch. The fascinating part: the watch was in Roman numerals which Yusy did not know anything about, so classic Yusy, he wanted to learn. In a span of 15 minutes Yusy was able to tell time on that stopwatch using Roman numerals. I bet that cannot be said about some adults! Yusy was always up for learning new things but also took pride in his small accomplishments along the way.

4. **Patience and Communication**: One thing I learned while traveling with Yusy is how innocent children can be, which makes me think of all the times I was impatient with my children. Being with Yusy gave me that time to be in the moment, be spontaneous, and just let go of being so uptight about the small things.

5. **The Importance of Play**: Playing can be a great stress reliever and is important for both kids and adults. The energy he had gave my life as well. I forgot how much energy these little humans have that keeps you going! Wherever we were, Yusy found a way to make the place exciting. From the restaurant to the hotel room, there was never a dull moment with him. He was always ready to go, interact and play.

6. **Being Present**: Kids often remind us to be in the moment and appreciate the present. I wish I had spent more time being patient and being in the moment when my children were younger. Being with Yusy, I was reminded that children have no concept of time; therefore, they want to take their time eating, playing, or picking books from the STRAND bookstore! Take him to a bookstore and be ready to be there for hours! Again his Amto trained him well: history and books 🙂

7. **Unconditional Love and Bonding**: The bond that forms through quality time is priceless, and a child’s unconditional love is heartwarming. Yusy has always had a special place in my heart since his birth, so having him come with us on this trip made the bond even stronger. His trust in myself and his cousins, his going with the flow, and his wanting to interact with adults show his love for being with people who show him love, but also he loves in places where he can learn.

Traveling to NYC has always been exciting for my family, but taking Yusy with us was extra special. The highlights for him were: Times Square to visit the M&M store, STRAND book store, and of course, meeting the fabulous DJ @ThanksJoey