Island Babies: Raising Children Who Think Everywhere Is an Island

The other day, we had one of those moments that perfectly sums up our life.

My 3-year-old looked at my 13-year-old and asked, completely serious:

“What island is Calgary on?”

She burst out laughing — but truly, his confusion made total sense.

Because in his world, everything is an island.

Every place we’ve lived, played, grown, and learned has been surrounded by coastlines, tides, ferry docks, paddleboards, and beaches.

My little ones have only ever known island life — between the forests and rocky shores of Pender Island in Canada and the sandy barefoot bliss of Belize.

And let me tell you… it's a magical way to grow up.

Where Childhood Happens Outdoors

Our days don’t revolve around screens or malls or plastic playgrounds.

They revolve around nature and imagination.

Here’s a little window into our world:

🦀 Flipping rocks at low tide and watching crabs scatter

🐸 Darting outside to catch frogs and make terrariums

🛶 All of us squeezed onto one paddle board, giggling

🌴 Building crab habitats and sand castles at the beach

🌿 Digging for wood bugs on mossy forest trails

🐚 Pocket treasures: shells, feathers, pebbles, driftwood

If there are frogs in a puddle?

Cancel the day — we’re staying right there for hours.

Slow childhood is not a trend here — it's just life.

Two Islands, One Big World

My kids switch effortlessly between two wild worlds:

Pender Island

Rocky shores & giant cedar forests

Paddleboards stacked on the beach

Crab-hunting and ferry schedules

Salty hair and tide chart mornings

Belize

Warm turquoise water & palm trees

Blue crabs racing across sandy paths

Reef life as their nature class

Mango juice smiles and barefoot evenings

They don’t compare them.

They love them both.

To them, the world is simply many islands connected by airplanes, boats, and curiosity.

Three Planes? No Problem.

When we're in Belize and they miss home, they don’t ask for big stores or fancy outings.

They ask for:

“The rocket play place!”

(aka the Vancouver Science Centre 😂)

And they say it so casually:

“It’s only three planes — let’s go today!”

That’s island-kid logic for you.

Distance feels funny when travel is just part of life.

Lessons the Islands Teach My Children

Living like this has given them a childhood full of gifts:

🌱 Patience

Nature doesn’t rush — and neither do we.

When frogs show up, time stands still.

🌍 Perspective

They see the world as big, open, possible — not scary or far away.

🧠 Awareness

They read the tide. They notice the wind.

They feel the earth beneath their feet, literally.

🧡 Happiness in Simplicity

Give them mud, puddles, and shells —

and they are the happiest kids alive.

A Wild & Rooted Childhood

Every night, I tuck in kids who spent the day exploring, laughing, splashing, climbing, noticing, and imagining.

Kids who know freedom, saltwater, fresh air, scraped knees, and muddy toes.

Kids who believe the world is small enough to explore — but magical enough to surprise them every day.

This island life isn't always easy.

But it is real, rich, grounding, and wildly beautiful.

And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Here’s to raising children who think everywhere is an island —

and grow up knowing the ocean connects us, not divides us. 🌊❤️

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Want to read more stories like this?

Stick around — I share real, messy, magical moments from our family’s life between beaches, forests, ferries, and passport stamps.

Adventure-raised kids. Slow childhood. Gypsy-mom life.