Parenting in Sussex: Time away from your kids can be healthy

Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to SussexWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you. Exploring new places or returning to treasured favourites, getting out and about with my little gang is what I love to do the most. But sometimes, it's nice to have a bit of alone time or take a solo adventure. So, with that in mind, when we were on our holiday in Tenerife this summer I signed up to go on an excursion on my own. Don't get me wrong, I'd have loved my husband and the kids to come with me, but this one was quite long and expensive. My children weren't overly keen, and while we'd normally always take them on excursions with us, my husband encouraged me to go it alone. And so I did. I booked a trip across to another Canary Island called La Gomera and spent the day there exploring via a guided tour. Having to take my passport to get on the hour-long ferry crossing felt thrilling. And even though I missed my family, exploring a new place alone felt exciting and was definitely a novelty for someone like me who has always travelled with my parents or my husband and kids. It also meant I didn't have to worry about anyone but myself. There was no need to worry if my children were hungry or thirsty. Nobody asking me for snacks or questioning 'are we there yet?'. No sense of impending doom as I sensed them getting bored or restless. I just sat on the coach, soaked up all the glorious facts about this beautiful island, and explored each stop-off with the nonchalant vigour usually only reserved for people without children harassing them. It was surprisingly wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed my day. But then, as we took the ferry home and I saw dolphins jumping in the water, I couldn't help feeling sad that my kids weren't there with me. Docking back on Tenerife and travelling back to my hotel seemed to take an age, and by the time I went to find my family who were already having dinner by this point, I was desperate to see them. I'm so glad I went on a mini solo adventure. I learned and saw so much. And it was made all the better when I got the biggest cuddles when I reunited with my family.