Lessons from Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang is truly a remarkable place for kids, not only in terms of things to do, but also in terms of what they can be exposed to.
Thinking back on our time there, one thing that stands out for us is the level of independence that local children are granted. It was not at all unusual to see very young children out on the street playing without a parent in sight, minding a shop on the main street, or assisting their parents at a stall in the night market. It reminds us of the way things were growing up in North America in the late 1980s and early 90s — when kids were “free range” and allowed to wander unsupervised anywhere in the neighbourhood, as long as they were back home when the street lights came on.
Walking around Luang Prabang, holding our children’s hands tightly to keep them safe from uneven sidewalks, potholes, and vehicles, all while seeing local kids roaming the streets on their own or driving motorbikes down the main drag really challenged our parenting perspectives. Even our kids noticed and commented on the freedom of their counterparts.
The importance of the family unit was also on full display, with extended families frequently out on the street in front of their homes eating meals and enjoying each other’s company in the evenings. We would often interact with the same families out front of their homes with a friendly sabaidee as we walked home from our dinners. It was nice to see the closeness and time being spent together, which is very much in contrast to the norm in North American society.
Our children also finally learned a bit about what it is truly like to travel with their WorldSmith parents in Luang Prabang. In our pre-kids life, we always preferred to walk everywhere when exploring a new city, no matter how far the distance. And we managed to get back into this groove again in Luang Prabang. As a family, we racked up over 20,000 steps each most days, walking everywhere we went (the Old City is pretty small, and could likely be circumnavigated in just over an hour). We didn’t take transportation anywhere within Luang Prabang, aside from our transfers to and from the airport. While this was a little bit nerve-racking at first, especially given that our Airbnb was located at the end of an unlit gravel road populated by fierce (small) dogs, we adapted.
The entire time we were in Luang Prabang, we never felt unsafe or threatened. And our kids never complained about walking so much or being given a bit more independence than they had been used to up until this point. It turns out that our children were more than up to the task — even after the streetlights came on (or didn’t, in some cases).