My college-age son is independent and self-sufficient. I owe it all to traveling with him when he was young.

My toddler son wasn’t sure what to make of the situation.

We’d just finished touring Costa Rica’s Manuel Antonio National Park, and were strolling through the adjacent village of Naranjito. He had his trusty stuffed toy, Grover, in tow. It wasn’t long before a group of local children spotted it and approached him.

“Elmo, Elmo,” they gleefully shouted. My boy first looked confused, then beamed.

“It’s not Elmo, it’s Grover,” he exuberantly explained.

A friendly conversation all about “Sesame Street” characters ensued. His dad and I watched the bilingual interaction, both bemused and proud.

Fast forward more than 15 years. Our then-3-year-old is now…