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LOL, I took that comment with a grain of salt because the poster is from Arizona; I figure in a state there most of the polulation is made up of senior citizens you probably will have a lot of senior citizens at the state parks.
I appreciate all the comments. In spite of what Theatergypsy believes, I really do want to hear what people think of our desire not to take this trip. After reading the replies I feel confident that there is nothing wrong with us for not wanting to go, but at the same time I am a little more inclined to take the trip if all the obstacles could be overcome.
We don't have a lot of seniors, just in the wintertime. All the Senior Citizens live in Iowa during the summer. I grew up in NW Iowa so I know!
You said you want to take your daughter on a fun family vacation, take her somewhere FUN then! I've lived in Arizona for over 10 years and the Grand Canyon is a few hours, know how many times I've been there? Exactly zero!
Go on a cruise with her, take her to DisneyWorld, go to Hawaii! State parks? Not so much, as a KID I don't think she'll be at all interested. My parents took the four of us kids to the Black Hills when we were about her age...about as exciting as skipping rocks!
We don't have a lot of seniors, just in the wintertime. All the Senior Citizens live in Iowa during the summer. I grew up in NW Iowa so I know!
You said you want to take your daughter on a fun family vacation, take her somewhere FUN then! I've lived in Arizona for over 10 years and the Grand Canyon is a few hours, know how many times I've been there? Exactly zero!
Go on a cruise with her, take her to DisneyWorld, go to Hawaii! State parks? Not so much, as a KID I don't think she'll be at all interested. My parents took the four of us kids to the Black Hills when we were about her age...about as exciting as skipping rocks!
Look at my post again, I didn't say I'd rather take my daughter to a state park than take her to Disneyworld, I said that if I could get away for a vacation I'd rather take it with my daughter than go on this cruise even if the budget didn't allow anything more than a camping trip to a state park.
In other words:
State park with daughter > cruise with in-laws
NOT
State park with daughter > Disney with daughter.
We do plan to take a Disney vacation at some point. But, not all kids are the same. I went to Disneyland at age 6 and 8 and my most vivid memory is buying a popgun at a souvenir stand. I went top the Alamo at age 7 and Mesa Verde and the Grand Canyon at age 9 and have great memories of both of those trips. And my daughter is a lot like me, I picture her really enjoying Disney for about half a day before getting tired of standing in line.
I would not go...leaving a 7 year old behind for 10 days would not be easy...and how would she feel for being left behind??? I don't think anyone should even think about holding it against you if you are not going...even if you do have someone to take care of her for 10 days...i know my kid would be upset if not hurt by the fact we would leave her to go on a 10 day trip, and postpone a family vaca...that would be my main and only reason for not going...just my point of view
It sounds like a really great opportunity on the surface, but then when I think about going away for 10 days with my mother in law and five sister in laws/their husbands, I'm pretty sure there would be at least a few fatalities before we even got on the plane. I don't blame you for passing.
The whole trip is only going to be as fun as the most annoying person involved.
I wouldn't mention the pets as being a reason; that just sort of comes off like you're scrapping the barrel to come up with an excuse.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NEmommy
I would not go...leaving a 7 year old behind for 10 days would not be easy
Well at 7 it's not like she can get in a car and go look for you, how hard could it be?
We don't have a lot of seniors, just in the wintertime. All the Senior Citizens live in Iowa during the summer. I grew up in NW Iowa so I know!
You said you want to take your daughter on a fun family vacation, take her somewhere FUN then! I've lived in Arizona for over 10 years and the Grand Canyon is a few hours, know how many times I've been there? Exactly zero!
Go on a cruise with her, take her to DisneyWorld, go to Hawaii! State parks? Not so much, as a KID I don't think she'll be at all interested. My parents took the four of us kids to the Black Hills when we were about her age...about as exciting as skipping rocks!
Good lord. My parents took me to the Black Hills when I was a kid and I have nothing but amazing memories- Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, etc. It was a blast, being able to stretch out and see some natural beauty. Same for state parks. Getting to hang out at the lake, hike, bike, and have a week of unstructured fun- awesome! What I remember from Disney World? Standing 45 minutes in 90 degree weather with humidity to go on "It's a Small World". What I remember from the cruise I went on ten years ago? A tourist packed boat with crappy food and over priced excursions to go see sea turtles.
If it were me, knowing what I know now, I'd go on the trip being offered and postpone your own family vacation for a few years. The biggest reason, even if you wait a year to go on a vacation so that your daughter can go along, she won't remember much of it when she's older. She won't appreciate it as much. At 8 years old, she won't be able to store those memories as well for later on in life.
The vacation offered by your family is a once in a lifetime event for your wife to enjoy this trip with her mom and sisters. Do this now, and then a few years from now go on a family vacation that the three of you can enjoy and your daughter will have fonder memories of when she's older. Just my .02 cents.
Really? I think 7 year olds will remember a family vacation. To me that's one of the better ages to spend time with kids, in a few years, she may be too sad leaving friends, or spend the time wanting to text them, or begins to think of parents as a little less than the coolest people to hang out with.
At age 7 or 8, a sleeping bag and tent and some good hiking can be the most wonderful vacation. Kids that age are fun and enthusiastic, they aren't yet rolling their eyes over everything.
The things my son remembers about trips we took when he was that age were swimming in the hotel pool and finding cool rocks.
Frankly we could have checked into a local hotel rather than spend the money at Disney and he would have been just as happy.
We did a mixture of travel when he was a kid, and his memories aren't so much "where" we were but that we were there together. And the rocks. (He's a boy, what can I say.)
Good lord. My parents took me to the Black Hills when I was a kid and I have nothing but amazing memories- Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, etc. It was a blast, being able to stretch out and see some natural beauty. Same for state parks. Getting to hang out at the lake, hike, bike, and have a week of unstructured fun- awesome! What I remember from Disney World? Standing 45 minutes in 90 degree weather with humidity to go on "It's a Small World". What I remember from the cruise I went on ten years ago? A tourist packed boat with crappy food and over priced excursions to go see sea turtles.
We also did a South dakota trip when I was ~4 and I still have memories of it...not a lot, but a few: Eating a buffalo burger (my first ever), we saw a herd of buffalo thunder across the road that we were driving on, we visted a city that had people dressed up as cowboys and indians (I wanted to be an indian when I was little), and we did a little hiking and I climbed up to the top of a hill (I was so proud). Pretty good memories for decades later.
Do what you want. Who cares what is "right" or "wrong". Trust your first gut instinct. If you wife wants to go, then she can spend time with her family and you can stay at home and watch your kid. Then later you guys can go on your own family trip. You don't have to be involved in every "family" thingy just because you are married. I don't go to visit with my husbands family every year. It just cost too much money for us both to go. We have to get a hotel when we do because there is no where for us both to sleep. He sleeps in a chair when he visit, not enough room for the two of us. So no biggie he does his own thing and I do mine. And every other year or two we save up and both go down on the trip. Who cares what everyone else thinks. You know yourself and you know what will make you happy.
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. I grew up in NW Iowa so I know!
