Time to book a mother-daughter holiday.

The saying goes 'a son is a son till he takes a wife, a daughter's a daughter the rest of her life'. Now I am a boy mum as well as a girl mum so I hope the first part isn't completely true. However, I do think there is something to the old proverb. The relationship I have with my daughter does feel different than the one I have with my son. Not better or worse, just different. Some people who see us together call it our cosmic bond (or shared insanity). I'm not the only one either as I have many female friends and family members who have a very special bond with their mothers that just can't be described, that's why when I came across this study I was instantly intrigued. Last year I ended up bringing my daughter with me on what originally was going to be a solo trip. I was all set to go to Berlin on my own for a music retreat but at the last minute, I realised I couldn't go without her. My husband was going to look after her but while I knew my six-year-old would be happy out to have the daddy time, my daughter was less than a year old and I knew she would panic if I was gone for so long. In the end, I packed up a suitcase for us, headed to Germany and honestly it was the best decision. I went on several holidays with her older brother while he was still an only child and there is a difference between the bonding time you can have with your child when it's just the two of you. Getting to have that week with Alice was an incredible bonding experience and even though she won't remember it when she's older, it's given me a lot of memories that I will always treasure. Little did I know it at the time but in addition to the emotional connection with my daughter, the break was a boost for my physical health too. According to research done by Havard Medical School, taking a mother-daughter holiday once a year can help relieve stress and significantly improve our immune responses while also decreasing our chances of heart disease. The study attributed the effects of having a mother-daughter break away as being as good for our bodies as having a full night's sleep and a healthy balanced diet. So there you have it! If you want all the health benefits of eating celery without actually eating celery and feeling less stress, book a little break away with your mother/ daughter for some quality time together. A holiday and health benefits, you don't have to tell me twice!