Holding Hands

There have been a few times on our trip when Aaron and I look at each other like, “What are we doing in China with a 2 year old…have we lost our senses?”

Luckily the good moments on our adventure have outweighed the bad. By far, the most challenging aspect of the trip has been traveling with a 2 year old.

Maeli is a willful child. Aaron’s mother said, “She reminds me of someone I know.” However, almost all 2 year olds are willful and it’s hard to break their determination.

There have only been a small handful of days when we haven’t left the hotel. Those reasons included minor colds and utter fatigue. Other than that, we’ve gone out everyday. Going out in a major city with crazy traffic patterns can be dangerous for a 2 year old without a stroller. We’re trying to train Maeli to hold our hand when we are on the sidewalk. Of course she doesn’t want to hold our hands. There is so much to climb on and neat things to touch. And most importantly, she wants to do the opposite of whatever we say.

So we end up making a scene. Our voices rise, “If you do not hold my hand, I WILL HOLD YOU.” She starts to run away and we jerk her up into our arms and let her know how sad/mad we are that she’s not listening.

What I wouldn’t give for a stroller on this adventure. But we have too much to carry as it is. It’s near impossible to get our 3 and 1/2 pieces of luggage from A to B without another thing to lug up the stairs.

And then there are the restaurant scenes. Two year olds don’t want to sit down for half an hour. They don’t want to wait for food when they are hungry. Two year olds have their own agenda. Eating out is supposed to be a relaxing time. We prefer eating on our hotel bed and letting Maeli do whatever she pleases without breaking glasses and making messes.

I sometimes wonder if she would be acting this way if we were still close to family and she had her familiar places. Maeli can’t tell me if she misses home. We certainly talk about home every day and remember our family and friends. We like to pretend that her family back home is wondering what she’s doing. Is she walking up stairs, looking at birds, going down a slide, or eating an orange? Is Maeli being a good girl and listening to her mama and daddy when they tell her to hold hands?

The one thing that keeps reassuring me that we’re doing the right thing is that she has endless stimulation on our travels. She sees something new everyday. The sounds of the motorcycles and scooters always excite her. The smells can range from pleasant to “we wouldn’t smell that at home.” She has been eating more squid than ever. So it’s a comfort to know that her little brain is growing and making all kinds of connections at a young age. I just hope that the listening receptor starts to kick in.