Charlie is the daughter of Hèlène and Yohan, 2 people from Bordeaux who have been traveling with their truck for several months. We met them at Darwin, and we loved their project (maybe a little jealousy, no!). We have just received some news from the little adventurer. We already told you about Our Little Truck a few months ago Charlie got into the game in 2 seconds and at the end she was asking for more Hahaha. Brief. She loved it even if her answers were brief. We had a great time.
- How old is Charlie?
“3 and a half years”
Charlie will be 4 years old in a few days :) When we left, she was just 2 years old.
- How does she live this experience?
“Good, I still want to keep it going.”
Last year, we met few families. Today the trend is changing. The opportunity for her to grow with children who are more or less her age and the opportunity for us to have a little more time. It must be said that she has energy to spare. Charlie needs nature. For her, the city is anxiety-provoking (unless it is for us). Freedom gives him wings. And then here, with the Moroccans, she is not to be pitied, a real princess.
- And school? How do you operate?
“We write letters, and we also learn difficult things”
Since September 2019, education (and not school) has been compulsory from the age of 3. Charlie is declared in IEF (Family Instruction). But let it be said, at that age, there is no real program. We don't really teach him. Above all, we try to find the right moment, the one when it will capture. Through activities, we mainly work to make him want to learn, to be curious... This is what seems most important to us. We don't put any pressure on her, let's not forget that she is only at the small section level ;)
- How is she traveling? Curious, adventurous, wild,...?
" Savage. Nope. I play the explorer well. »
She's a bit of all that. At first glance, she is rather wild or shy as she likes to say. But clearly it doesn't last. She likes experiments, culinary for example, to make explosions of flavor in her mouth. She loves watching insects. Sometimes, she has difficulty managing her emotions and becomes so angry that you really have to wait for it to subside before you can hope to communicate with her. She loves manual activities. And her happiness is being at the beach, playing with her friends, eating ice cream or chocolate.
- And you, as a parent, don't tell us that everything is rosy with a little girl, in a van :D
Oh no. She remains a child and we cannot escape conflicts. The refusal to eat, to wash... The big tantrums that throw everything away... Bedwetting, where you have to keep calm even if you know that you are going to tackle a laundry task in hand rather than starting a good book... . Ultimately we have the same constraints as at home but not with the same means hahaha. After the “why” phase, it’s time for “confrontation”, with almost permanent refusal. All of this puts our relationship to the test, with regular questioning. Fortunately, our garden is large, and allows us to breathe when it's stormy. Surfing also helps us a lot to evacuate :)
- What do you want her to learn from these adventures?
May she learn sharing, respect for herself and others, respect for the planet, even more so today in this period of confinement. We would also like her to continue to be as resourceful as she is today, to keep her spirit sharp and her joy of living.
- Do you have any fears about returning to her?
Charlie adapts much faster than us. Our fear is that there is a lack of space in the city. But hey, when we return, the idea is rather to settle in the countryside. Our fear is also that society, school (she still has to go there…) will put her in “the ranks”. It's up to us to find solutions so that this doesn't happen and that she keeps her personality and what she has learned from the trip as much as possible.
- Is she attracted to board sports?
“Skiing and sledding, and also roller skating on the ice but also everywhere we want”
Yes she loves it. For the moment, it's skateboarding that attracts him more. But by asking her your question, we learn a little more about her Hahahah. We just knew that she dreams of going to the mountains to ski!
- Does she surf?
“Yes I do a bodysuit, I can stand on it, it’s still strong. It's made of foam »
We introduce her slowly but she is still fearful. Sometimes the ocean impresses her, and she is already aware of the danger it represents.
You can follow Charlie's adventures on the Notre Petit Camion blog , and via their social networks ????
Instagram @notrepetitcamion