One of the big draws of northern France for me are the D-Day beaches and museums. WWII factors is to American history in many ways and the scale and boldness of this military operation is one of the most iconic of the war years.
For family travel here there is much to consider. For us, that includes bringing a 5 and 3 year old on an all day guided tour. Beaches and open space help. Add a ton of snacks and a picnic lunch and we are well positioned for a successful adventure.
War stories+ kids?
We’ve already been thinking about how to present this to the kids. Avoiding the direct mention of death and suffering, we are so far looking at this from a mission perspective. A job to be done. Working hard, making good decisions, and leadership and cooperation will come up a lot in these discussions. I’m also toying with the idea of mapping out Omaha and Utah beaches using masking tape on the carpet in their play area. Our son already hears a little about military maneuvers in his bedtime Hannibal stories so we have some practice at battles and leaders without scaring them. Both kids have heard me listening to Churchill audiobook and thus know a little about “Winston” so we can build from there.
We’ve looked at a few guided tours. Weighed the prices and the transportation considerations. It’s not cheap. And some discourage bringing children so we looked to a handful recommended by Rick Steves that will give a better position to inquire from.
We’ll admittedly probably focus on the American stories for this trip. And most likely just for a single day (based out of Bayeux). When the kids are a little older (e.g., out of car seats, making rentals less inconvenient) maybe we’ll come back and get deeper into the history.
In the short term I’ll be considering rewatching Band of Brothers, the Longest Day, and Saving Private Ryan. (the kids will not be watching these, of course).
Viewer discretion: violence and language in the two movie trailers below.
–Dan
Family conversation topic: What might the kids not be ready for? Is nudity and sexuality in art an issue that you might want to address before travel? Violence and warfare? Class, race, and other vital but sensitive topics?
There are no “right” answers but we’ve found that discussing these topics beforehand is quite helpful and helps avoid conflict while on trip.