This guest post is by Isis mom and blogger Kami Lewis Levin.
I am pretty attached to my iPhone. And not in an “I just really like it!” kind of way. I mean, I’m attached to it. As in it rarely leaves my hand. As in, my iPhone is to me, what Angel Dear Doggie Blankie is to my little boy. It’s an extension of who I am.
Which is why disconnecting on family outings is crucial. My children (boys ages 3 and 5) should not think that my phone is some kind of bizarre hand tumor. I CAN put it down, ya know.
If I have to.
This past Father’s Day weekend, my family visited the Smugglers’ Notch Resort for the second time this year. The first time we went, it was January and Smuggs was a winter wonderland. This time, we got to see it in all it’s summer glory.
And it was spectacular.
So spectacular, in fact, that I put down my iPhone for it. Well, not for it, exactly. For the experience of simply being in a beautiful place with my beautiful family and truly being there. I know, I know. I’m not a particularly kumbaya kinda gal. But…I disconnected in an effort to reconnect with the people who matter most to me: My husband and my boys.
Resorts like Smuggs are amazing because what they offer is so much more than what’s listed in their brochures. They provide a family experience. An opportunity to enjoy little things like chasing butterflies and big things like awesometastic waterslides, hillside hikes and lazy river walks. Thus, they also provide myriad chances to hold hands, offer spontaneous squeezes, and plant quiet kisses.
We were eager to return to Smugglers’ Notch Resort because they are just so damn family friendly there. They offer single days of camp for the kids so us grown ups can get in some bike riding or tennis playing together. They offer a variety of swimming pools, hot tubs and family activities. And they offer the kindest, most helpful staff ever. Seriously.
Summer is the perfect time to regroup and reprioritize. Life slows down a little. The kids look bigger, faster, older. I want all the connecting time I can get. Summer getaways, even just for a weekend help me to reboot, if you will, my relationships with my men. All three of them. And these experiences remind me that putting down the iPhone is important even when we’re home.
At least for a bit.
Kami Lewis Levin lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and two sons. She blogs about working motherhood at The Fence. Learn more about Smugglers’ Notch Resort at www.smuggs.com.
