Confession: I didn’t like going on vacations all that much when my children were younger. Yeah, sure, we were making core memories, but do those moments have to be so damn exhausting?! Mwahahaha

I’m a single parent, which meant I had to do the work of two persons to make those core memories happen. But here’s the good news: children grow up, and when they do, they become the best travel companions you’ll ever have.

They take charge

It was our first family trip to Tokyo. After handing my kids a suggested itinerary of destinations, they took charge. My eldest churned out a doable schedule every day. They then took turns navigating the streets and train stations of Tokyo. It was a refreshing turn of events. I used to be thinking a hundred steps ahead on vacations, responsible as I was for four children. Now I was happy to coast along, enjoying the walks, taking in the sights. It was wonderful!

They know the nice places

Waiting in line for katsudon wasn’t exactly my idea of a good time, but doing it with my kids made it all worthwhile. Spots at the eight-seater Katsudonya Zuicho are much coveted, and we were lucky to have waited for less than half an hour. At Shinjuku, I watched in fascination as the cooks in Fuunji made bowl after bowl of delicious ramen. At Ginza, I had ice cream laced with coffee liqueur in Cafe de L’ambre, one of the oldest coffeehouses around. At Taito, we had a picnic of our konbini faves at Ueno Park. If I’d gone alone, I would have probably just gone to the restaurant nearest me when I get hungry. But seeking out these spots and lining up at these places gave us all a more memorable Tokyo experience.

They overlook your grumpy old mommy vibes

In one of our forays in Shinjuku, we walked around in circles, trying to figure out the best way to go back to our hotel. As we had been out since morning and have clocked in thousands of steps, we were kind of tired. I was getting flustered and frustrated, and was giving off grumpy old lady vibes. It was bound to happen. Fortunately, the kids overlooked my vibe and trudged on. Drama diffused, and we all went on to have a nice time.

They indulge your whims

One of the things I wanted to do in Ginza was to get lippies from Shiseido and have them engraved with custom designs. We went to the wrong branch on our first try, and on the second found out that the service was only available for a specific period of time. And we were already too late. I told my kids that it was okay; I could do without the engraving thing. But two days later, my daughter insisted we go back, and at long last I was able to avail of the service. I was the happy camper let me tell you, and it was because my kids didn’t give up on me.

They take care of you

But the best thing about traveling with your grown-up children is they now take care of you. They get seats for you on the train. They carry your packages. They look out for the train station stamps that you are obsessed with. They encourage you to treat yourself. It was a fabulous trip!