I decided to take my 13 yr old niece to New Orleans. I understand that this is not naturally a destination you would take a 13 year old, but she had never been and I thought it would be a lot of fun. She and I have not had much 1-on-1 time together and our relationship was somewhat underdeveloped. Additionally, I am not a Mom so I was a little unsure of how to handle the whole “responsible parent” thing, but figured I’d just sort it out along the way! A few things I learned:
1.) My niece is smart and engaging! I learned so much over the weekend we spent together about topics I would never naturally have assumed would come up – ie K-Pop, gender equality and politics – who knew?! We laughed and acted silly; we talked and talked about everything.
2.) She is both curious and apprehensive… and somewhat of an “old soul”… it was absolutely enchanting to watch her learn, listen and experience an unfamiliar environment. Most often she would watch and learn before jumping into something; learning from her surroundings and taking in all that information.
3.) New Orleans can be fun at any age! Between the zoo, the aquarium, the butterfly exhibit, the live music, and the various tours there was PLENTY to do!
4.) I can be a “responsible parent” type if needed! big internal win on my part 😛
All in all I think we both had a wonderful time both being in each other’s company and exploring the beautiful city of New Orleans!
