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The Beginning: A Forced Trip No One Was Thrilled About
It started with a wedding invite in Uttarakhand—one of those “entire family must come” kinds. I had work. My dad had a sore back. My mom was stressed about packing achar and papads. But somehow, we all ended up in the car, crammed together for an 8-hour drive to Ranikhet.

No fancy hotels. No itinerary.
Just 3 people, one car, and years of unspoken emotion.

The Car Ride: Where It All Shifted
The first two hours were awkward. Dad was driving in silence. Mom was listing forgotten items. I was plugged into music, pretending to be busy.

But somewhere around hour three—when Google Maps failed, and we got lost— we laughed. Like, really laughed. At ourselves. At the road. At my mom's horror when the chai shop didn’t have "safed makhan."

That’s when it hit me:
We’re always in roles at home—The Working Parent. The Nagging Mom. The Busy Child.
But here, stripped of routine, we were just people trying to find our way. Together.

The Stay: Seeing My Parents as Humans Again We stayed in a homestay—small, rustic, with no TV. My dad and I shared a room, something we hadn’t done since I was 12. My mom had her own little corner, overlooking the hills. And at night, without Netflix to distract us, we… talked.

Turns out, my dad writes poems.
My mom had a college crush on Rajesh Khanna.
They fought for their love marriage against serious odds.
They’ve seen more, lived more, felt more than I ever gave them credit for.

I didn’t know whether to feel guilty or grateful.
But I felt closer—undeniably.

The Meals: Simple Food, Honest Conversations There’s something magical about food cooked with love and eaten without rush.

Every meal at the homestay was fresh and local—aloo gutka, mandua roti, and steaming pahadi dal. As we passed each bowl, we passed pieces of ourselves too.

Mom opened up about her loneliness now that I live away.
Dad spoke about his dreams of becoming a musician, abandoned for a bank job.
I shared how I sometimes feel guilty for not calling more, or being "distant."

There were tears.
But mostly, there was healing.

The Silence: Where the Real Magic Happened One afternoon, we sat on a hilltop in silence, just watching the clouds roll in. No selfies. No stories. Just silence.

And in that quiet, I saw what I had never seen before:
My dad, vulnerable but peaceful.
My mom, tired but content.
Me, present—not as a daughter burdened by expectations, but just… there.

That silence healed more than years of "I'm fine" texts ever could.

The Little Moments That Made a Big Difference

• My mom clicking aesthetic photos of flowers like a Gen-Z influencer
  
  
• My dad asking me to teach him how to use Instagram
  
  
• The three of us arguing over which playlist to blast in the car
  
  
• Drinking chai together at a roadside stall and not rushing
  
  

None of it was Instagram-worthy. But it was soul-worthy.

What I Realized About My Parents (And Maybe Yours Too)

• They have inner lives they never got to live fully
  
  
• They sacrifice more than they ever mention
  
  
• They miss you, even when they don't say it
  
  
• They need companionship, not just responsibility
  
  
• They want to be understood—not just obeyed
  
  

And sometimes, they don’t want much.
Just time.
And our full attention.

Why Travel Works When Words Fail Back home, we’re all stuck in loops.
Chores, work, fights, misunderstandings.
We repeat patterns. And roles.

But when you travel:

• The setting changes, so the story can too.
  
  
• You slow down, and listen more.
  
  
• Shared challenges (like a flat tire or late train) create bonding.
  
  
• And most importantly, you see each other with fresh eyes.
  
  

Sometimes, you need to get lost together to find each other again.

How That Trip Changed Us After We Returned
It wasn’t like we came back and everything became perfect.

But—

• I call them more now—just to talk.
  
  
• My dad sends me his poems on WhatsApp.
  
  
• My mom video calls to show me what she’s cooked.
  
  

And they’ve started planning the next trip.

Not for a wedding.
Not for a ritual.
Just for us.

Takeaways: If You’re Drifting From Your Parents…

• Plan a short trip. Just you and them.
  
  
• Keep it simple—no luxury required.
  
  
• Leave behind your roles, and carry your heart.
  
  
• Be open to listening. They’re carrying more than you know.
  
  
• Laugh. Let loose. Let them in.
  
  

You don’t need therapy right away.
Sometimes, you just need a suitcase and an open mind.


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