{
  "id": 5964081,
  "title": "My college-age son is independent and self-sufficient. I owe it all to traveling with him when he was young.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/my-college-age-son-is-independent-and-self-sufficient-i-owe-it-all-to",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-06T11:07:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Insider",
    "slug": "business-insider",
    "url": "https://www.businessinsider.com/independent-son-traveled-often-kid-2026-9"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "My husband and I embarked on a world tour with our son, starting when he was just eight months old. While it wasn't always easy, our experiences traveling with him have contributed significantly to his independence and self-sufficiency. As toddlers, he and his trusty stuffed toy Grover navigated Costa Rica's Manuel Antonio National Park and nearby village of Naranjito, where he made friends with local children, who recognized both him and Grover.\n\nFast forward to today, our son is a young man attending college nearly 2,000 miles away, and he is a confident and independent individual. He took his first trip at eight months old, which initially seemed like a nightmare when he fell ill during the transatlantic flight. But he quickly adapted, and his resilience was evident as we moved through different countries, faced language barriers, and navigated unfamiliar situations.\n\nTraveling at a young age provided my son with cognitive, social, and emotional benefits. He learned to adapt, developed empathy, and broadened his mind by understanding different customs, religions, and languages. He also improved his language skills by learning to say \"please\" and \"thank you\" in various foreign languages. Above all, travel fostered his confidence and emotional intelligence, enabling him to connect with people from diverse backgrounds and become a well-rounded individual.\n\nNow, as he ventures into college and explores the world on his own, I couldn't be prouder. The benefits of traveling with our son have paid dividends, and his assuredness will continue to serve him well in the future.",
  "summary": "I traveled with my son around the world since he was 8 months old. I believe it has helped him become an independent and self-sufficient adult.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}