Last summer, I had the opportunity to take my son to Ontario. While the kid has travelled a fair amount throughout Alberta and British Columbia, other than stepping across the Saskatchewan border when he was two in an interprovincial park, he’s not ventured east. He was excited.

As I was already in Ontario, this adventure saw him getting on the plane alone. Navigating, not only the points past security here in Edmonton alone, but navigating Pearson International Airport alone as well, as they wouldn’t let me in at that end either. I could only text him and say, “I am at the Tim Hortons”. Evidently, there is a Timmie’s on the other side of the big doors at YYZ too…

This mother was one worried woman. Though, I did sit at the Library Bar in downtown Toronto for an extra Manhattan when I should have been enroute to the airport, but that drink lies at the feet of my friends Chris and Julie. I was just along for the ride… And to pick up my kid. Needless to say, I was waiting for him when he exited the doors finally at the other end. No harm done. At six feet four inches, even at fifteen, no one is tangling with my baby-faced, blue-eyed boy. He says I’m too protective and I worry too much, but there are people who would never forgive me if I lost him at the airport!

But he was safely on the ground, and he did fine! There was nothing to worry about. He was in the big city now and was ready to go! And Go! we did, all the way back to Union Station.

The first order of business was figuring out the trains, as he and I were going to a Toronto Blue Jay’s game that very night! One of us needed to remember how to get back to the station that night, post game, so we could get back to Oshawa that night, as that is where we would be staying for the remainder of our trip. With Chris along as our guide, he and the kiddo sorted it out. Both had long figured out I was geographically and directionally challenged. With a map and GPS, I am pretty good, but with neither, I get turned around too easily.

After a long, hot wait, we were seated. Hot dogs, drinks, giant bucket of popcorn, we were set to watch the Jay’s cream the team they played 12 to 1! It was a great evening, even if my giant boy was squashed in his seat. Thankfully, we had no one around us, so we could spread out and enjoy some extra room. We ducked out in the eighth, and caught the train back, no problems and didn’t get lost once.

Saturday, we chose to get snacks and spend the day RELAXING! We played Mario Kart on his Switch, napped, and ate great treats. I think we went for Sushi that night with Chris. Which was a great experience. Being neither the kid nor I are well versed, but Chris is, we got to try all kinds of stuff. Having done sushi in Manitoba earlier in the summer, I’d had a taste of it, but my son hadn’t. Turns out, he’s a fan. It was a great evening.

On Sunday, we took the long, scenic drive to Ottawa to see the Nation’s capital and visit the science museum. Turns out? The highlight of our day was breakfast. We had the MOST amazing breakfast at a little hole in the wall diner he found on a Google search in Peterborough called the Square Plates Diner… And no, the plates were not square. The owner does all the cooking with one single server along to help take orders. Surprisingly quiet for a Sunday morning, the food was incredible. I had a Philly Cheesesteak Omelet, the boy had his favourite, Eggs Benedict, and for fun, we shared cinnamon roll French toast. We ROLLED out the door. I’ve never had a better omelet! My son was also keen on getting to Quebec, so we drove across the border and into Hull. He tried to get me to spend two and half more hours and get to Montreal, but I had to say no, not on this trip.

Monday, we drove ourselves down to Niagara Falls! It was a beautiful day. Sunny and warm, we picked a perfect day to take in the falls. We walked the walkway down and enjoyed the sights and my son did one of the underground tours and loved it. He also surprised me with a beautiful necklace and earrings! We had a great day together. We got to experience the (infamous) 401 at rush hour, and then met Chris and his family for dinner. It was a great night.

The next day, we flew home and back to reality. Time flew by but we packed a lot into our three days, but it was definitely a great time. I’m so glad we got the time together. As children age, their relationship with their parents change. While my son and I are close, his desire to take trips with me may not always remain the same. He started high school this past fall (when we took this trip) so, the timing was appropriate. As it turned out, it was a good trip for us both, but of that, I hadn’t much doubt.