When the kids are little, family vacations are often more work than fun. I can remember vacations where I got no sleep, no rest and certainly no me-time. I also remember having a sore back (from carrying all that JUNK) and a bad attitude (from dealing with screaming toddlers in public areas).

Well, for those of you with little guys at home, rest assured that you get your vacations back. At least until your cute toddler passes the innocuous pre-teen stage and turns into a mono-syllabic Marilyn Manson…

My kids can walk by themselves. They can carry their own things. They talk to each other and not just to me (so I can actually think a full thought). They have their own interests and come up with funny insights. I know they won’t starve to death or die in front of a careening black taxi in a crooked one way street in London.

What a relief. For the past few years, I have been savoring every second of our annual summer vacations, storing it up for entertainment purposes for when I am 90 years old, drooling in my rocker, reminiscing about the good old days.

And the best part is always… coming home!

One of my favorite things about taking the kids to Germany (where I was born) or England (where I grew up) is the hilarious things they notice.

Greta can’t get enough of the itsy bitsy, teeny weeny cars. We rented a “people mover” (yes, we all live in the same century, but you’d never know) which turned out to be a mini van. That’s a mini minivan: the biggest one they had is barely bigger than a VW Beetle.

Peter loves the facial hair. He is forever commenting on people’s mustaches and beards. I guess it’s true us Germans are a hairy lot. Hence my closet full of razors and Nair.

Svenja has a shoe fetish. For a child who could be dressed in a sack and not give a damn, this is kind of funny. She likes them to be JUST SO and to be tied or buckled JUST SO and they have to be THIS COLOR and NOT THAT COLOR. So we’ll be walking around and instead of looking at the ancient buildings or the exhibitions, she’ll be head down, checking out people’s feet.

And Germans have some pretty funny taste in shoes, let me tell you. Socks and sandals are IN.

So this time together as a family isn’t so much about learning about history or being immersed in culture, as it is about being a family. Having the time to relax together in a new and different environment where all sorts of norms are questioned.