…and what you think is cool in Greece may not be the same thing
As children get older be prepared for the possibility that they may not find the beauty of Greece as stimulating as you do. They may think it’s boring and never be happy until they are in the hotel room, jumping on the bed. The key is staying in one place. This sounds strange to us because we keep things interesting by moving on, visiting the next island, the next beach and changing our surroundings. Have you ever noticed how dogs only notice other dogs. When I am driving in my car with Byron in the front seat he stares out the windshield at the highway. I don’t know if he has any idea what he is looking at or what is happening or that we are moving. But if he catches a glimpse of another dog he gets very excited and jumps up, looking through each window for the best view until the dog is out of sight and even then I can tell he is still thinking about it. Kids are the same way. You can take them to the rim of the volcano in Santorini and point to the ships below, the sunset, the other islands of lava bubbling from the depths and be totally impressed yourself at the magnificence of the scene, but if there is another child playing nearby or listening to the same boring lecture from his or her parent, that is all your child is interested in. You can go to the most beautiful beach in the world with sparkling azure seas and fish leaping from the sea to greet you, but if there are no other kids on the beach don’t expect the fascination to last. For all your surroundings you may as well be taking a 10 hour car trip on I-95 with your child asking “are we there yet?” every two minutes. A remote secluded beach is great for couples with a new born baby but not for a child who knows what it is like to play with other kids. The irony is that if you want peace of mind then go with your kids to the crowded family beach because without other kids to bounce off of they will probably torture you. Quiet secluded paradises are boring to some little people. Same goes for the Parthenon. In the words of my 6 year old brother when we came upon the temple of Apollo in Aegina:
“Oh no. Not another one of these things.”