Most recently, Alexander Read (41) went on a trip with his daughter Mina (7). This time, the three-year-old little sister Lilje Olava joins her very first winter expedition. It is all documented in the TV 2 programme Mina, Lilje and me.
DRESSES: Lilje (3) and older sister Mina (7) got new princess dresses in connection with the trip. Photo: TV 2
The trio sets out on a 17-day trip in the middle of winter. They have packed the essentials: thick sleeping bags, Real tour food and nothing less than princess dresses.
The family man put precious hours into careful planning. However, they got a shock start to the trip.
Right on adversity
Ahead of the trip, Read realized that the start was going to be tough. The very first part was the steepest part. In addition to looking after the daughters, the father of the family had to drag two sleds with him.
As the youngest daughter was three years old at this time, she was dependent on breaks. When she was tired, she lay down in the sled. In addition to heavy equipment and toys, 15 extra kilos were added.
– It was an extremely tough start physically and mentally. It was straight into adversity, says Read when TV 2 makes contact.
He wondered if he should go with the original plan. In case it got too intense, he laid out an alternative route. But when he started, he took action to ensure that they were able to carry it out.
Among other things, the eldest daughter Mina pushed the sled from behind and looked after her little sister. At one point the weight became so extensive that Read chose to drag the sleds up the hill one by one.
– There I got the first test to see if my head was involved, he says and adds:
– But the good thing is that time is on my side and ours. Those hours on the ground are hours that we adults usually don’t have time for. Then there were 17 days left and we had plenty of time to take those lessons again.
WINTER: The family set out on an expedition in the middle of winter. Photo: TV 2
– It was ugly
Nevertheless, he admits that the sledges were brutally heavy.
– It was ugly. I had tested them beforehand and knew it was heavy. It’s like a training session when you have to max out for 17 days. Every step is a maximum lift, he clarifies.
Read points out that resigning was not an option. That was not in his mind.
– There is no danger or risk. You can get mad, angry and bored, but I am mentally prepared for that. Although it was a tough start, it was also as expected.
– We humans want things to be a bit simple, but it is not the case that all learning and development lies in the simple. Sometimes we meet resistance where you really have to get up and work. It doesn’t help to go to the basement after five minutes, says the father of the family, who has recently had another daughter.
Toddlers on tour
It’s hardly a secret that taking toddlers on a 17-day trip isn’t all fun. Read admits that his patience will be tested on the expedition.
He says, however, that it is important for him to show that the friction on tour is transferable to life – both for the viewers and the children.
PATIENCE: It was not always easy for Alexander Read to take his daughters on trips. He says that his patience was tested. Photo: TV 2
– It’s how we come together from it, for better or for worse. It is what ultimately creates the trip and life. What I wanted to document is in both ups and downs, says Read and adds:
– You don’t always handle parenthood as well, but it’s about getting together, solving what you’re in and talking through it. And say sorry regardless of whether you are 41 or 3 years old. There is a lot of learning in it. I want the heavy hill at the start, because it’s probably as much about the adversity we face as the uphill climbs. Just like in life, concludes the father of the family.
Watch the premiere of Mina, Lilje and me on TV 2 Direct and TV 2 Play.
