Traveling with Little Kids - Why Not?

When I talk to friends about traveling with their small kids, I hear the same reason other parents don't do it ... why spend the money when they are not going to remember it.

I just don't understand this line of reasoning.

You'll remember it. Besides, you take them to family get-togethers and maybe to Florida to see Mickey or the beach and they're not going to remember that. With that logic, why even leave the house? (Maybe it's a money thing and the "they're not going to remember it" is just a way not to say it's financial impossible. I realize we're super lucky to get the travel opportunities we do. And it's really none of my business if they can't afford it.)

Anyway ... I thought of these conversations I've had with other parents because I came across these pictures:

They're from 2010 when we took these two to Germany for a few months after Dave got a work assignment there. Leah was 4-years-old and Alice was just 2. What was I thinking, right? But we had such an phenomenal trip. They don't remember it at all but we do. And it was such an amazing time all together. I would never have passed up the trip just because they "weren't going to remember it."

I have a treasured picture of Alice dancing in front of the Louvre and another of Leah hamming it up in front of the Berliner Dom. And more memories than I can count. (I kept a daily blog about our adventures here.)

Anyway, my point of this post is: Don't let opportunities to travel go by because they're not going to remember it.