Skip the Stay-cation: One Mom Reconnects With Her Kids on a Short Relocation

Kaity Velez
·6 min read

Basking in the Key West sunshine, one parent remembers to pause, breathe, and enjoy the small moments—before one of the kids asks for another snack.

<p>Kaity Velez</p>

Kaity Velez

As we drove down the Overseas Highway and my body began to relax as I soaked in the views of the turquoise blue waters of the Florida Keys, the sudden and incessant snack demands from my 6-year-old were a quick reminder that this vacation was, in fact, simply a “relocation.”

It was a friend at one of my first mom’s night out dinners some 11 years ago who introduced me to the notion of a “relocation.” Back then, I was still a starter mom of one baby back then, and although this friend was also a starter mom, she seemed to know all the tips and tricks to get her baby around town. And abroad.

Related: 5 Family-Friendly Summer Vacations That Won't Break The Bank

For those unfamiliar, a caretaker relocation is when you spend endless hours and funds to travel somewhere to give your kid a memorable experience—and they do exactly the same things they do at home, like protesting putting their shoes on or taking another bite of their food, except off their usual schedule and at nice hotels and restaurants.

Knowing this, my partner and I consciously didn’t travel too much beyond visiting family or local trips when the kids were younger. We thought best to stick to routine as closely as possible. But now that they’re 11 years old and 6 years old, we want them to experience more. And we want to experience more, too.



"As it turns out, tantrums and feelings of annoyance can exist, even in paradise. Still, at some point after the first day, I refused to spend our entire vacation threatening to never take them on another trip. Instead, I decided to implement my learnings from a place many of us gain our most expert parenting knowledge from these days...Instagram reels. "



Maybe it’s because of their ages and all of the excitement leading up to this trip that I had this expectation that everyone would be all sunshine all the time, especially for a few days at the beach. But as it turns out, tantrums and feelings of annoyance can exist, even in paradise. Still, at some point after the first day, I refused to spend our entire vacation threatening to never take them on another trip. Instead, I decided to implement my learnings from a place many of us gain our most expert parenting knowledge from these days...Instagram reels.

My goal? Focus on the “glimmers.” This Verywell Mind article describes a glimmer as “the exact opposite of a trigger—it is some kind of cue, either internal or external that brings one back to a sense of joy or safety,” says Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD.

So, instead of zeroing in on what was going wrong, like my child yelling at me about Cheez-Its as I kayaked us through the backcountry of the Keys in the blazing heat, I intermittently found glimmers—like admiring the mangroves after hearing our patient tour guide tell us about all they do for the Key West ecosystem—and thanked my 41-year-old body for being strong enough to comically pull us through a rough current back through those very same mangroves.

I helped my kids find those glimmers too. Like when my tween couldn’t stop thinking about his middle school homeroom assignment for the upcoming school year, so instead we focused on being together and the joys of jumping in water so warm we never had to brace ourselves.

<p>Kaity Velez</p>

Kaity Velez

As each day went by, I continued to release my expectations and was reminded why our relocations are so very worth it, especially this one in the Florida Keys. It’s the small moments, like enjoying the morning sun on our faces on the patio of our hotel room at Isla Bella Beach Resort in Marathon, FL, and the excitement each rooster and iguana filled us with as we walked down the street.

And the big moments, like watching the kids snorkel for the first time and my little one conquering his fear of the deep end of the pool. These times away as a family give us the opportunity to connect as a unit and grow together in new places, making new memories to look back at.

Being mostly off screens and in the ocean for four days felt almost healing for us. We connected to nature and saw a baby shark, dolphin pods, and sting rays up close, we watched screensaver-worthy sunsets each night, and we were reminded of how good we are at being together, even when we ran out of words.

Time goes by so quickly when we’re rushing to and from drop-offs and pick-ups and work and various activities for our children, so if this relocation taught us anything, it’s that slowing down may not always be easy with kids, but it’s so very worth it. And that, most importantly, there’s no such thing as too many snacks. Ever.



Key West Unlocked: Where to Stay, Eat, and Play

Here are the best places to stay, eat, and explore with kids on your Florida Keys vacation.


Pools Not Optional

Give my kids a heated pool and they are happy. Pool options? Living their best lives. These two hotels offered that plus spacious rooms and family-friendly restaurants.


Find the Right Adventures

Getting my kids excited about a new excursion isn’t always easy but 90% of the time it’s alway worth convincing them. Here were two of our favorites.


Kid-Friendly Eats

While eating out is one of our favorite activities as a family, my kids' eyes are always bigger than their bellies so when they’re wanting to be adventurous and pick meals off the grown-up menu we usually make them split a meal. We had some great meals in Key West, particularly seafood of course. These are the ones we wish opened northeast locations.

Breakfast:

Lunch:

Dinner:



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