Cruising without the kids…

[sbhdmh]

I must say that I am very impressed with all these grandparents who step up and allow parents to take a vacation without the kids. DH and I were married 17 years before DD came along. This means we had a lot of time alone first and also that the grandparents are much older. DH's parents watched our niece and nephews when they were younger but now with one on either side of 80 it would be too much for them to keep up with a 4 year old. My mother has taken us on a few trips along with her, including an amazing Baltic cruise this past summer, but has not so much as offered to watch DD while DH and I have dinner alone on Valentine's Day. Different strokes for different folks, as they say. I agree with the suggestions from previous posters to arrange for some down time for grandma if possible. Whenever friends leave town I always make sure the sitting grandparents have my phone number in case they need backup. It can be exhausting looking after children 24 hours a day at any age - especially if you are not used to it. The older kids may also enjoy having a map to keep track of the places you are visiting. Of course they also may just enjoy their time with grandma and not want to be reminded about good ol' mom and dad ;) Enjoy!

[malittlefoot971]

dh and I left our 2 young children this past june for 6 days. we told the kids (6yrs & 3yrs old) months before we left that we was taking a cruise and that they was going to nanas and pappys for the week. The kids were thrilled to spend a week with them. we left them up to packing their own stuff to take there. we departed from Ny and while there we sent them each a post card. It felt great to send them something and when we returned they was happy to see us and they told us all about their week and showed us their post cards. It does feel good to leave them behind b/c you and your husband get some quality time together w/o being interrupted with "mom I need a drink dad can you do this for me" You come back feeling rejuvinated and relaxed and ready to face the world. I'd recommend every parent of young children to take a break from them every once in awhile. It just feels wonderful for when you come back and they cuddle more an say mommy and daddy we missed you lots and love ya lots. It is just a wonderful experience for both you and your children.:)