An appreciative son has taken his mum on 20 adventures to thank her for the 20 years she spent caring for his father.
Barton Brooks, 45, and his partner Gregg Goodbrod, are currently halfway through visiting 20 different places in Europe with Barton’s mum Carla.
So far they have explored Paris, Switzerland, London, Wales, Budapest, Prague and Bavaria.
Barton told Today.com that while seeing the sights has been amazing, it’s also been a fantastic opportunity to spend some quality time with his 77-year-old mum.
“I get to hug my mom every night, show her things she’s always wanted to see, and have her hang on my arm as we walk around each city,” he said.
“[It] has just been perfect.”
Barton said his mum taught in a school for 30 years and was just nine months from retirement when her husband had a stroke.
Her plans were changed in an instant.
Barton’s father was left unable to care for himself, which resulted in Carla providing round-the-clock care for him right up until he passed away last year.
Barton said that after his dad died, his mum became “completely lost” and also seemed to lose her sense of adventure.
When Barton was growing up, his mum said life was best lived through travel, adventure and “trying to make an ordinary day a little brighter”. As such, they would often go on mini adventures together.
“It didn’t have to be a big thing - something as simple as a picnic lunch in the yard, a ‘little trip’ to the town five miles away to buy fruit, or a walk up the hill to the pond to feed the ducks,” he explained in a blog post.
Now, Barton hopes to rekindle his mum’s sense of adventure through this special trip across Europe.
“She gave me her love of adventure,” he explained. “So I’m going to give her an adventure to love!!”
Follow their journey on Instagram or through the family blog, The Little Girl from Kamas.