Sometimes just choosing one has its benefits
PERKS OF TRAVELING WITH ONE CHILD
( EVEN IF YOU HAVE SEVERAL )
He ’ s leaning back in a red vinyl booth , smiling but tired — the good kind of tired . We ’ d spent the day criss-crossing a huge swath of Tokyo on foot and by subway , really soaking in the city . And all evening we ’ d been cheering the Yomiuri Giants baseball team to victory at the Tokyo Dome , a bucket list experience for both of us .
This memory is from my favorite photo , one simple but telling , of my older son from our recent trip to Japan together . It was snapped late one night in a quiet restaurant near by Melissa Rayworth
our hotel , a little dumpling house that had been the only glowing light we encountered in a sea of darkened storefronts . I can still remember that warm light spilling out onto the sidewalk and our delight at having found a spot for a late-night snack . We ate fragrant dumplings splashed with chili oil , talked a bit about the game , and just let the warmth and quiet envelop us .
It was a night I ’ ll remember until the last of my memories fade . My younger son and my husband would have loved to come with us on this trip , and it would have been wonderful experiencing it with them . But part of the magic of that brief vacation was sharing it with just one of my kids .
THE SOLO SIBLING
After three years of living in Bangkok , we have traveled all around Asia as a family . We have devoured satay at Singapore ’ s hawker centers , roamed the ruins at Angkor Wat , explored the quiet beauty of Chiang Mai and
32 WANDERLUST WWW . WANDERLUSTMAG . COM