Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We are planning some traveling with our children, particularly with our almost 5 year old. Both domestic and international travel. We are going on a cruise in November, hopefully to Scotland next year and some national parks within the states throughout the year.
Some people in the travel forum say taking children on trips is a waste since they wont remember it, I disagree.
Some people say not to take your children on long flights because they may be disruptive. I do my best to train and teach my children to behave appropriately but they are still children. I believe that adults need to be mature and acknowledge that while not always convienant that children are part of society and have to be tolerated. Why is expecting tolerance too much to ask.
We've been traveling with our kids since they were babies. Road trips, flights both domestic and international, etc. We just took a 2,500 mile road trip over spring break. They've driven across the country with us numerous times. I wouldn't have it any other way.
We've been traveling with our kids since they were babies. Road trips, flights both domestic and international, etc. We just took a 2,500 mile road trip over spring break. They've driven across the country with us numerous times. I wouldn't have it any other way.
other people have basically said if your child doesn't need to be around other humans keep them locked away, or at least that's what it sounds like
Tolerance is one thing. Expecting other people to deal with anything and everything your kids do because 'they're kids' is another. Most of your fellow travelers don't want or expect the extremes at either end. You already sound defensive, I hope that's not the case.
As far as whether children remember or not, all I can say is that while I'm sure it was a good experience for them, mine remember very little about any traveling before the age of ten or thereabouts.
...all I can say is that while I'm sure it was a good experience for them, mine remember very little about any traveling before the age of ten or thereabouts.
My experience has also been that my children remember very little of any traveling they did before the age of about 10. So while my daughter, who was 10 at the time, remembers quite a bit of our Zion/Bryce/Grand Canyon trip, my other kids who were 7 and 5 really don't.
Of course, I think it's absolutely fine to take well-behaved children on trips. I would have to have specific examples of what you are expecting other people to "tolerate" before judging whether you are being reasonable about that or not. However, I would be prepared to visit all the places you are going to in the next few years again, when your children are older. Telling them, "We're not going to Scotland/Yellowstone/the Caribbean again, we were there when you were five" is pretty unsympathetic.
IMO, I think a 5 yr. old makes a fine traveler. At the age of 5, a child knows what behavior expectations are, and will be, for the most part, able to abide by those expectations. Remember that when they get hungry and/or tired, they'll be more stressed, just like everyone else in those circumstances, and they MAY act out under those conditions.
Also, they'll get wiggly at a certain point, and that needs to be taken into account...but otherwise...it should be fine.
The whole "they won't remember anyway" argument is ridiculous. Will everyone enjoy it is a much better factor in deciding.
My kids don't remember the baby toys they had but does that mean I shouldn't buy them any toys until they're 8? Of course not. They will take things from any trip and internalize them. They may not remember all the details but every trip will have some sort of affect on them. Perhaps they'll discover their love for birds. Maybe they won't remember when they gained their appreciation for birds but it could likely be on that trip to Big Bend. Perhaps (like my kids) they'll discover their love of geography. They'll be surprised at the different cultures, foods, languages, etc. They may not remember it later but they'll have that experience. Even if they remember what that feels like for a few weeks I think it's better than never experiencing new things until their opinions are more hardened.
Besides, my husband and I love to travel so our options would be to leave them at home all the time or to not travel until they're older. Why? Not because everyone wouldn't enjoy it but because it wouldn't be at the forefront of their memory when they're 35? That's just silly.
That argument makes sense if you're taking a trip that completely revolves around kids. Taking a baby to Disney only once in their life is pointless.
My husband and I both love to travel. If we were to wait until our kid was "old enough to remember/appreciate it/etc.", we wouldn't travel for years. So we have traveled and he comes with us. He's 12 now and has become quite an adept traveler. We went to Ireland when he was about 4.5 years old. While he doesn't remember a lot, he does remember a few things - especially when we look through pictures. He remembers that at one hotel, his dad had to buy a swim cap in order to go in the pool and how funny he looked (sadly no pictures of that, LOL).
One thing we try to do when we travel is to do some kid-oriented things along with the "boring" museums, etc. For example we found a great, huge playground for him to run around and burn off energy. Or finding a cool kid's museum where they have hands-on exhibits. Essentially we'd try to make it fun for all of us - both kid stuff and adult stuff.
The whole "they won't remember anyway" argument is ridiculous. Will everyone enjoy it is a much better factor in deciding.
My kids don't remember the baby toys they had but does that mean I shouldn't buy them any toys until they're 8? Of course not. They will take things from any trip and internalize them. They may not remember all the details but every trip will have some sort of affect on them. Perhaps they'll discover their love for birds. Maybe they won't remember when they gained their appreciation for birds but it could likely be on that trip to Big Bend. Perhaps (like my kids) they'll discover their love of geography. They'll be surprised at the different cultures, foods, languages, etc. They may not remember it later but they'll have that experience. Even if they remember what that feels like for a few weeks I think it's better than never experiencing new things until their opinions are more hardened.
Besides, my husband and I love to travel so our options would be to leave them at home all the time or to not travel until they're older. Why? Not because everyone wouldn't enjoy it but because it wouldn't be at the forefront of their memory when they're 35? That's just silly.
That argument makes sense if you're taking a trip that completely revolves around kids. Taking a baby to Disney only once in their life is pointless.
Well said. I totally agree.
In addition, who says that, since the baby or young kid may not remember it, that the experience isn't shaping their outlooks, attitudes, and experiences? Just because a baby may not be able to vocalize an experience that he/she had doesn't mean that experience had no impact on them or on their later lives.
To say that a vacation with a baby is a waste is ridiculous.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
