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Old 07-18-2013, 11:43 AM
 
Location: Warren, OH
2,744 posts, read 4,209,063 times
Reputation: 6503

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hedgehog_Mom View Post
My parents used to leave us with their friends and have a weekend alone at least once a year. I think it started when I was 5 or 6. I was 13 or 14 the first time my mother decided I could stay home and watch my sisters while she went out of town. That was a lot more fun, although the food wasn't as good as when we stayed with a friend.

Personally, I'm not big on vacations and I've never been anywhere without my kids. I have a lock on my bedroom door and hubby and I get plenty of alone time without having to leave town.

We actually love vacations and travel, but we take our kids. Almost always. We want them to have the same experiences that we do, and childhood is so short.

Ours are in their late teens.

We have also taken them to resorts that have programs for children. That's a great compromise. We took them to Hawaii a few times and they loved it.
They have these at other price points to. I think it's a good compromise.

They are in their late teens now. We did go abroad with out them - now I wish we took them.
My wife and I will have 30 or 40 years to travel alone.

Parenthood - the really together and close part where kids are always excited about any travel plans that you make lasts about 15 years.

That said, I don't think that a child will be scarred for life if you take one vacation when they are eight or nine.

We never really wanted to leave them with anyone. Aunts uncles and grandparents are not primary care givers. They are people we see on holidays once in a while.
That's it.
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Old 07-18-2013, 11:49 AM
 
13,975 posts, read 25,825,509 times
Reputation: 39851
Quote:
Originally Posted by warren zee View Post
We actually love vacations and travel, but we take our kids. Almost always. We want them to have the same experiences that we do, and childhood is so short.

Ours are in their late teens.

We have also taken them to resorts that have programs for children. That's a great compromise. We took them to Hawaii a few times and they loved it.
They have these at other price points to. I think it's a good compromise.

They are in their late teens now. We did go abroad with out them - now I wish we took them.
My wife and I will have 30 or 40 years to travel alone.

Parenthood - the really together and close part where kids are always excited about any travel plans that you make lasts about 15 years.

That said, I don't think that a child will be scarred for life if you take one vacation when they are eight or nine.

We never really wanted to leave them with anyone. Aunts uncles and grandparents are not primary care givers. They are people we see on holidays once in a while.
That's it.
My children are also important to me. But, so is my marriage, and my spouse's career. Most, but not all, of our trips away without the boys were business related. I think they benefited by the increased time spent with their grandparents. Both generations certainly seemed to enjoy it.

Last edited by Jaded; 07-18-2013 at 06:54 PM.. Reason: Removed deleted quote
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Old 07-18-2013, 12:18 PM
 
3,072 posts, read 5,209,795 times
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I'm sure different things work for different families but I particularly love to travel to exotic locations and I want to have some time without them. I love them very much, but I don't mind time away either. In our family, their grandfather (my husband's dad) is just as valued as a caregiver as me or dad - perhaps that is our cultural difference. I was raised in the home with my grandmother too, and taught to give her the same respect as my mother or father. So, that's not even an issue.

My concern is more when they will be mentally ready to understand that we are going away and will be coming back.
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Old 07-18-2013, 12:51 PM
 
3,072 posts, read 5,209,795 times
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OP here.

Hah! Interesting discussion. A language debate over the usage of vacation and holiday. Since I am actually an ESL teacher (ironic), let me explain. In British English, the word holiday is used interchangeably with vacation. There is some history behind that, mostly related to politics. I am Canadian, so we generally use British spelling and mix our British/American usage depending on the word/subject. Americans, as I understand, use the term holiday to describe a widely-designated day on the calendar (Christmas, Labor (Labour) Day, etc).

Either way, I'm looking to have some drinks where the sand is white and the ocean is blue. Call it a whoozlewhuzzle if you want, I just don't want to have to deal with diapers and naps when doing it.
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Old 07-18-2013, 12:57 PM
 
Location: Geneva, IL
12,980 posts, read 14,506,033 times
Reputation: 14862
Quote:
Originally Posted by aliss2 View Post
Either way, I'm looking to have some drinks where the sand is white and the ocean is blue. Call it a whoozlewhuzzle if you want, I just don't want to have to deal with diapers and naps when doing it.
Cheers!
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Old 07-18-2013, 02:49 PM
 
Location: Finland
6,423 posts, read 7,205,792 times
Reputation: 10435
No, she meant holiday, which is the correct term. Americans don't own English.

Last edited by Jaded; 07-18-2013 at 06:56 PM.. Reason: Removed deleted quote
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Old 07-18-2013, 03:03 PM
 
Location: Zurich
322 posts, read 581,621 times
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Me and my sister were staying with my mom's parents since the age of 3 while they were in London and Havana visiting family.
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Old 07-18-2013, 03:14 PM
 
2,547 posts, read 4,209,661 times
Reputation: 5611
Quote:
Originally Posted by warren zee View Post
We actually love vacations and travel, but we take our kids. Almost always. We want them to have the same experiences that we do, and childhood is so short.

Ours are in their late teens.

We have also taken them to resorts that have programs for children. That's a great compromise. We took them to Hawaii a few times and they loved it.
They have these at other price points to. I think it's a good compromise.

They are in their late teens now. We did go abroad with out them - now I wish we took them.
My wife and I will have 30 or 40 years to travel alone.

Parenthood - the really together and close part where kids are always excited about any travel plans that you make lasts about 15 years.

That said, I don't think that a child will be scarred for life if you take one vacation when they are eight or nine.

We never really wanted to leave them with anyone. Aunts uncles and grandparents are not primary care givers. They are people we see on holidays once in a while.
That's it.
Teenagers are a bit different, because they can enjoy a lot of the same things adults do, you can reason with them, you can even split up on activities etc. Young kids however are a different story. On vacation, all the plans inevitably are made around their needs, and you never get a 'vacation' from making sure they're fed, rested, entertained, safe, etc. A lot of the things we enjoy on vacations are not the things a two or three or four year old needs and enjoys - nice dinners, drinks on the beach, late nights out, shopping, even something as simple as lounging around on the beach or poolside becomes impossible, because you're always watching out for the children. An ideal vacation with kids is something like a lake cottage, because all they really need is fresh air and activity and safety, up to a certain age they don't care about the luxury hotels and all that.
Most of the appeal of vacation for me personally is just being lazy and relaxing and taking a break from daily chores and such, and you can't do that with a young child.
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Old 07-18-2013, 03:33 PM
 
Location: Liberal Coast
4,281 posts, read 6,060,546 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Natsku View Post
No, she meant holiday, which is the correct term. Americans don't own English.
To be fair, it is not "the" correct term. They are both correct terms.
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Old 07-18-2013, 03:35 PM
 
32,516 posts, read 36,999,023 times
Reputation: 32571
Quote:
Originally Posted by aliss2 View Post
Did anyone leave at 3-5 for a week, how was it? Their grandpa would stay here and they are very close to him, so I'm not worried about care.
Yes. But we had a three-generation home and Grandpa was used to the day-to-day stuff. (Making lunch, having their buddies over, tucking them in.) Grandpa LOVED having a few days with just him and his little men.

Then he said, "Welcome home. I'm taking a nap." (Think about Grandpa. Is he up to it? Is Grandpa a 45-year old who runs three miles every morning or is Grandpa 60 with arthritis?)

Oh and be fore-warned that Grandpa isn't going to do what YOU would do when you're home with them. Trust me on that. That menu you've told him about? Forget about it. Grandpas were put on Earth to serve them ice cream for dinner and let them use really big tools that make a lot of noise.
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