After eight years in the same home, Tonya Russell and her family planned to rent briefly while building a new house. A competitive rental market, and landlords wary of self-employed tenants with dogs, turned what she expected to be a two-week hotel stay into nearly three months in an extended-stay hotel.
How Hotel Life Made Me Rethink My Parenting Rules
She, her husband, their 1-year-old daughter Talia, two dogs and a cat lived on what fit in their SUV, with the rest in storage. She often felt boxed in, disliked walking the dogs at all hours and dreaded the slow elevators, while Talia quickly got bored with her limited toys.
The stay also changed how she parented. She relaxed her rules on junk food and screen time, letting Talia have a donut or a few minutes of Miss Rachel so she could work. The hotel’s conference room became a play space.
She also enjoyed meeting other guests, including veterans, military families and business travelers, and bonding with staff.
When they finally found a rental, she was surprised to feel homesick for the hotel. Over those months, Talia had begun speaking and learned to run. Russell concluded that home is wherever your family is.
