It's fun to be Farquhar

Mmmmm, Manitoulin ...
For every mom out there who dares forge her own way - when all around her are the suburban ideals of keeping up and conforming - there are a zillion others who will consistently say, “I’d love to do this or that but I can’t because of the kids.” And that, ladies, in a word, is crap!

Long-haul adventure travel mightn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I think it’s fair to say that a lot of moms - including formerly free-spirited, fun-seeking, travelling types - tend to avoid going anywhere with their munchkins because they think it’ll be no fun at all. Too hard. Too tedious. Too just-not-worth-it. I’m hoping I can prove them wrong.

It's not that a change in parenting tactics has to involve a “me-first” attitude shift, but perhaps when mom takes a chunk of time to do the travelling she’s always wanted to do - while learning to ignore her inner June Cleaver a bit more often – the family can actually learn to play along.

Our own driving-camping-flying adventure began a few months ago in Ontario, in late August, as we said goodbye to those we love and caught the ferry to Manitoulin Island, the largest freshwater island in the world. There, we discovered it’s a whole of fun to be a Farquhar.

Most people think a Farquhar is a nasty lord from Shrek, so unless you happen to be familiar with your Scottish clans, you too might have trouble with the name. Not so on Manitoulin where the author’s family – pictured above, Farquhars all – lapped up the fame by association