Do you remember what it was like as a kid making a new friend? It was so exciting and a great accomplishment finding that buddy on the playground who wanted to play with you. This memory came back to me after watching our daughter play at the Thinkery Children’s Museum in Austin. She was so excited playing with “new friends”.
The Thinkery got me thinking, why does this change as we get older? Why as adults do we tend to stay in our bubble of friends and struggle to make new friends anymore? We as parents sit on the sidelines playing with our phone or only talking to the people we know as our children are filled with joy building new friendships on the “playground of life”.
Why as adults do we tend to stay in our bubble of friends and struggle to make new friends anymore?
Living life on the road has taught me to be a kid again and I love making new friends and meeting new faces as we travel from city to city. It is so interested meeting people with a different story than yours and finally stepping out of my comfort zone.
Living life on the road in your RV can be a little tough when you have to say goodbye to family and friends. I have written a couple of posts on how we have used this lifestyle to involve our loved ones in our road trips and how this can actually be a good thing in the right circumstances. You can check them out here and here.
Realistically though, we know we can’t take everyone with us on every trip, so there are times you must say goodbye. However, what I have discovered is how amazing it is to make new relationships. Not relationships that replace any of the existing relationships, but meeting new people that if not for traveling we would not have had the opportunity to cross paths with.
During our camping stay at McKinney Falls State Park near Austin Texas, our daughter met a new friend on the playground. I began talking to her mother about the area. She gave us some great local advise and invited us for a playdate at the Thinkery in Austin.
This was so exciting for our little one to make a new friend and spent time with other children while getting to explore, especially being on the road. Her being able to keep interaction with other children was a concern of mine starting this journey of living in an RV full-time as well as how we as adults would be able to keep interaction.
Let me start by saying this concern has been alleviated after a few moths on the road of meeting really friendly people like this family who took us in as one of their own in their hometown. Life on the road has also allowed us as together as parents to spend more time exploring with our daughter on a day to day basis.
It is a rewarding experience getting to watch her grow together as husband and wife. I know this is not an opportunity that every family situation allows and I am truly thankful for this experience as a family. I don’t regret any of the decisions we made on things to give up that got us to this point.
The Thinkery is a wonderful children’s museum. If you are in the area I would highly recommend this as a family stop. Our daughter loved the water area called the Currents and is an amazing way to allow your child to slash their way into discovery. This is a large water sensory area and your kid will be drenched with fun….literally.
This water area doesn’t hold back on the water so you might want to bring some extra clothes although they do offer smocks and crocs to help keep your little one somewhat dry.
Also located in the museum is
A light lab to discover the impact of color, light and shadows
A comfy reading nook was the perfect story time spot for scheduled readings or just grab a book and read to your little one
A move and dance play area was full of soft mats and hula-hoops
Lets Grow is a focus on nutrition and balance where kids can shop in the market or cook their food in the kitchen.
Our kiddo loved the garden themed space for ages 0-3 where she could play and climb.
The Backyard climber play area is an awesome outdoor play space you have to check out.
There is so much to see and do so visit the website to see more and make sure to watch our video above to see how our play date went and video of the Thinkery Children’s Museum in Austin.
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