On every trip we take, we bring along at least one tennis ball. It doesn’t have to be an actual tennis ball, but any ball that you can hold in your hand and is small enough to stuff into a backpack – hacky sacks and pink Spalding balls have also come along on our adventures.
As a parent, there are countless times that having a ball handy has permitted us a few extra minutes sitting in a cafe, lounging on the beach, and strolling through a park.
On a trip to Paris when our kids were 6, 10 and 12, we spent some time in the courtyard outside of the Louvre museum, rather than viewing the art on the inside. The kids sketched the I.M. Pei pyramids, and just as that activity had reached its time limit, I pulled out the ball. Before long, the three of them were playing a game of “Butts Up”, which involves using a backboard (e.g. the wall of the circa 17th century museum) to which one throws a ball. I got to revel in the surroundings, the history, the people watching.
In Romania, we tossed the ball across the fountain-filled piazza of my father’s hometown, Brasov, trying not to hit any of the locals. And in Bali last summer, the pre-dinner whining stopped as soon as Simon discovered there was a wall outside of our room against which he could pitch his ball.
So, my advice for traveling parents – stick a ball or two in your suitcase. I promise you won’t regret it. And if you’re looking for additional benefits, an article in a recent issue of Health magazine, “Get Fit with a Tennis Ball”, features tennis-ball exercises you can use to “flatten your belly, bounce and burn, tone your thighs and soothe sore feet.”
Personally, I think I’ll stick to Butts Up and Monkey in the Middle…
