We did it! We completed (and survived) taking all of our 4 kids away over the past 9 years for their Big Weekends away.

Traditionally our big weekends away are where we have the big talk to our kids about puberty, becoming a teenager, the birds and the bees and all that stuff. 

When it comes to the 'big talk', parents often pick one of three options... 

1. Leave it up to the child's school and friends. 

2. Awkwardly hand them a book to read when any tricky questions come up. 

3. Tell them to go and ask the other parent if they want to know anything. 

Symon and I have been determined as parents to embrace the awkwardness and do it ourselves! We'd rather our kids hear this type of information from us rather than some random kid at school or dodgy website online! 

Traditionally we've taken the kids away for a fun weekend with the parent of the same sex. The aim of the weekend is to chat about the big stuff on the way to our destination then have a fun and relaxing time hanging out together for the rest of the time where they are welcome to chat more if they'd like. 

Thankfully The Parenting Place have made it way less awkward with their amazing resource "The Big Weekend - Middle Years 9-13" on spotify (see here). In previous years we've used their CD to listen to but they've recently updated it all and made it free for anyone to use! I absolutely loved listening to Petra Bagust & Pio Terei take us through all the great topics, including (but not limited to) things like self-esteem, rejection, body image, puberty, porn etc. Such a great resource I'd highly recommend! It works perfectly for girls and guys, and you can skip the bits that don't relate (or you don't feel your child is ready to hear about yet).

For our big weekend away we chose a road trip to Auckland (in New Zealand) which gave us enough time to listen to and discuss the topics on the playlist. 

We then had heaps of fun which included visiting shopping malls, staying in a hotel, riding on a ferry, seeing a movie and visiting Kelly Tarlton's underwater aquarium.

We've done it slightly different with each child, our other daughter I surprised her with shouting her to get her ears pierced etc. It's a great trip to start talking about months or even years before (I love getting them involved in sharing ideas of things they'd love to do to make it memorable) so that it is something special to look forward to! 

Here are a few photos of our trip! A lot of fun was had just looking around at shops and buying little treats to eat - it doesn't need to be an expensive weekend to be memorable! 

If you'd like to see more photos and videos of our adventure  check out my Instagram here and watch the saved stories called "Big Weekend Away". 

If I can leave you with 2 important tips, I'd say... 

1. Learn to embrace the awkwardness. Life is full of awkward moments, and so often we shy away from what's important because we are scared of awkwardness. Don't let awkwardness rob you of the important moments in life! 

2. The conversation doesn't stop here. Make open conversation a big part of family life - not in a creepy and embarrassing kind of way, but in a fun, honest and real kind of way. Let your kids know you are always available for questions or chats... even if they'd prefer to email you or text them to you rather than face to face! Kids only need to know a little bit of information (what they are ready to hear) and the rest can be filled in over the next few years. 

All the best - and remember, embrace the awkwardness! 

Always very happy to answer any questions, so feel free to leave a comment, message me on instagram or email me at paisleyjade@live.com.

To check out previous weekends away see here, here and here!