At least once a year, my mother used to grab my sisters, pile them in the car and head up to see me in Vermont for the weekend where I attended college.
We’d stop at every bagel and donut shop while shopping and testing all the maple syrup. In the evening, we’d hit the buffet or pizza place that was close to the hotel and get some pool time in.
I remember when my mother visited me in college.
I’d usually sleep in the hotel with my family, sharing a bed with one of my sisters, or pile blankets and snooze on the floor. Yes, I missed precious party time with my friends, but having this mother/daughter time with my family was something I really needed. And spending time with them in a place that wasn’t home sweetened the pot.
Those weekends always deepened our family bond and left me feeling happy. I had no idea that it was good for our health, but it was. So good in fact that Harvard Medical School reports that taking a trip with your daughter or mother can relieve stress, improve immune health, and it can even help improve sleeping and eating habits.
Science tell us a mother – daughter trip is good for you.
There’s scientific proof that spending quality time with loved ones can help you live longer. So, family gatherings and weekends away where we can really focus on each other and step away from the day to day stresses of work and managing a household, are key. They don’t only add to a happy mind, they add to a healthier body.
According to an article from Harvard Medical School, “The Health Benefits of Strong Relationships,”
… a relative lack of social ties is associated with depression and later-life cognitive decline, as well as with increased mortality. One study, which examined data from more than 309,000 people, found that lack of strong relationships increased the risk of premature death from all causes by 50% — an effect on mortality risk roughly comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and greater than obesity and physical inactivity.
It seems like whisking your mother or daughter away to spend some quality time in is well worth it.
Now I have a daughter of my own and I see many trips in our future.
In fact, I was thinking sine she’s 14, it would be a good year to gift her a trip together as one of her Christmas gifts. I have visions of us getting our toes done, sleeping in, and ordering room service.
And what could be better than to gift your mother a trip for the two of you– science says you should. It doesn’t have to be extravagant either. There’s no need to pack your bags and leave for Italy and stay for 10 days although that would be glorious.
Grown and Flown talked to women who were lucky enough to spend time with their daughters and here’s what they told us:
“At 19 we just did a few days in Iceland that were amazing. Pushed me beyond my comfort zone a bit which is good.”
“Iceland! It was amazing and more awesome than I ever could have expected. We had no itinerary, just a place to stay each night, a guide book, and a rental car. The bonding and laughing (when we were brought raw reindeer meat at dinner!)—I couldn’t have asked for a better trip.”
“Paris! With my 15- year- old- daughter. Watching her eyes as she first viewed the Eiffel Tower. It made me so proud to be able to “show her the world!”
“Took my daughter when she was sixteen to Egypt to visit the pyramids, a boat ride on the Nile, a visit to the Valley-of the Kings and Queens, Luxor and Alexandria. We had a fabulous time and she asked our guides tons of questions. She was so happy on this trip especially when she went into the great pyramid in Gaza and when we visited Alexandria where she lived the first 6 months of her life.”
“January 21, 2017 we went to Washington DC for the Women’s March. It was an epic mother-daughter trip! She was 15 at the time and finding her voice. It was the first time I saw the adult relationship we would have. Treasure that trip!”
“I went to Iceland with my daughter who was 17. It was incredible. Haven’t laughed that hard in so long. We are planning another trip soon.”
“My daughter and I went to an Imagine Dragons concert in Vegas on NYE last year. The band was one thing we are both giddy over, and it tends to erase the mother-daughter gap, even if it’s just for a few hours. It makes me feel young and connected to her, and she sees me less of being an ‘old mom.'”
“We went to the beach in a quaint town. She’s 19 years old and we haven’t always had a great relationship but our trip was magical and restorative.”
“I’ve taken several with my daughter. Some good, some strained. But we plan day trips together. Hiking, lunches, weekends to NY to see the Rocketts. The bond is strong during the storms and triumphs.”
So take the trip, even if you don’t think you can swing it. There’s always time to enhance our relationships and when we get the added health boost just from taking a vacation with a loved one, it really is a no-brainer.
And if going away for a week, or a weekend just isn’t going to happen, you can always carve out a day to bond over some good food and laughter– your think of the health benefits.
You May Also Enjoy:
