Leaving Little One Behind

[Hornsby377]

We are leaving on the 27th for a 4 night cruise and our daughter is 2 1/2. We are leaving with her grandmother for the weekend. Which is a nice vacation for our DD too, because she loves going to her grandmothers house (and grandma loves it too)! When she is alittle older we'll bring her, but for now we are lucky to have someone to watch her :) Enjoy your trip, you'll miss him immensely but it's nice to rekindle your relationship from time to time :)

[halos]

Hmmmm....have we really become civilized? ;)

 

let's just enjoy this for a brief moment please....I'm sure the sh*t will hit the fan soon enough ;)

[Intrudr]

let's just enjoy this for a brief moment please....I'm sure the sh*t will hit the fan soon enough ;)

 

Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya...

[L2J]

let's just enjoy this for a brief moment please....I'm sure the sh*t will hit the fan soon enough ;)

 

LOL.....you're probably right. And on that note....I'm off to grab some popcorn:D

[Katiebug227]

As someone who was one of the "little ones" left behind when my parents went on a cruise, don't worry about it - it was far harder on them than it was on us! ;)

 

I was 6, my brother was around 8 months, and my dad's boss paid for them to go on the Big Red Boat for a 10 day cruise. We stayed with my aunt and uncle, and I had the time of my life playing with my little cousins, and my baby brother was of course doted on.

 

My mom cried for close to an hour in the car after they left us, but they had a fabulous time and it was the first time they'd had a vacation since well before I was born. The time away was great for them, and knowing that we were safe with family allowed them to relax and enjoy the cruise.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[triplelutz]

I've done cruises with and without my kids and both are great! :) I'm with Halos on the anticipation of leaving them being way worse than actually leaving! Except now my 9 year old asks us to leave because grandma and grandpa give in to her every whim!!

 

I think it's so important for spouses to get away and have some alone time to keep the relationship going. I know far too many marriages that have fallen apart or are unhappy once the kids left home because they forgot to nurture themselves...

 

Enjoy, you'll have a fabulous time!!

[Lauri32]

Oh excuse me, I must've stepped into the Twilight Zone.;) I can't believe what a non debating thread this is. AND IT'S ABOUT KIDS? WOW!

 

Bravo to all of you parents out there who wish to enjoy time away from your little ones. They need a break from you just as much as you need one from them. (They just don't know it, yet.) I know the guilt is there. My husband and I will be sailing out next week without our girls and I get the guilt, too. We take them on cruises with us sometimes. But we also need our time alone to focus on each other. And for the poster who said try to find something other than the kids to talk about while away, that's easier said than done.;)

[halos]

And for the poster who said try to find something other than the kids to talk about while away, that's easier said than done.;)

 

 

....VERY true....and if that is the case, then getting away alone should become a PRIORITY!! Trust me on that. If and when you get to the point where all you have to discuss are your children, you need some time alone to make some nice 'couple' memories so that you can have something nice to discuss at a later date that won't involve kids!!! ;)

[DreadPirateRobert]

I'll chime in for the benefits of time with other family members, not that there's anything wrong with bringing them on the cruise. When our boys were little they spent several of our vacations with "Meme and Papaw". They had adventures, learned history and got a sense of their larger family they'd never have gotten just being with us. They're 20 and 21 now. They still talk about those times.

[Vicar]

Another country heard from

 

You just have to get away as a couple once in a while. Even if its not a cruise, even if its a "date" once in awhile. You will not be kicked out of the parents union just for occasionally taking a little "us" time together. :)

[nybumpkin]

<Except now my 9 year old asks us to leave because grandma and grandpa give in to her every whim!!>

 

My oldest used to refer to my mom as "Grandmom Ice Cream" because she would let him eat ice cream for breakfast, if he wanted it!

[halos]

THAT is what makes Grandmothers grand!!! :D Mine woudl still let me eat ice cream for breakfast and she'd have a bowl with me!!!

[Lauri32]

THAT is what makes Grandmothers grand!!! :D Mine woudl still let me eat ice cream for breakfast and she'd have a bowl with me!!!

 

Think she would adopt me as a grandchild?;)

[kfgarrow]

We are flying to Miami tomorrow for our fifth cruise. Four of the five have been sans kids. The kids are flying with us and will be picked up by my parents to spend a week being spoiled in Florida while we cruise. My cousin and her husband are going on their first cruise with us and they are doing the same thing with their kids. Since my mom and her mom are sisters and live in the same retirement community, the cousins will not only spend a week with their granparents, they will also get to spend time with their cousins. We are all very excited and pleased with this arrangement.

 

We took our first cruise without kids when my youngest was 9 months old. I slept the first 24 hours of our four-day cruise after dealing with a colicky baby for all those months! Several years of kid-friendly vacations went by before we decided to cruise again for our 15th anniversary. We now take 1 cruise per year, mostly sans kids, but last year they sailed with us and we had a great time. We will cruise with the kids again, we definitely will cruise without them and we will do land vacations as a family in between. All the different setups have their pluses and minuses and my kids are some of the best traveled kids I know.

 

I hope the OP has an excellent time on her trip and that hell hasn't frozen over because we are all being so cordial. :)

[MinniIndi]

Halos,

I totally agree with you. Thought I was writing for a moment.

Every year we do the kid trips, but cruises are for us only. And I still feel guilty leaving them. This year, for some reason, I'm feeling really guilty. Maybe it's the sunami syndrome. What if something happens.(?)

I always buy about 3 cards for the boys before I leave on a cruise. I write in each card, include a couple bucks, or lottery ticket, and mail one the day I leave, the next, from the airport, usually Miami, and then one from the ship, then I send post cards from the islands. Often I make it home before the post cards. That's why I started sending cards early. They are thrilled to get mail from Mom.

My parents never took me on a cruise, and to this day, neither one has been on one.

I'm boarding my 4th cruise this Monday, just can't help myself, guess I'm addicted to cruising.

 

I am forever grateful for my Mom, for staying with the kids. (2 boys). They're usually spoiled rotten by the time I get home, but then again, so am I.

 

Not only do we have to make dinner, but set the table, cook, clean, pull out our own chair, and remove our own plates from the table. Calgon, take me away!!!

 

You are deserving of your vacation, so enjoy yourself. Adult style.

Your kids will miss you and be more appreciative when you get back home. Mine seem to be that way. Although they are in great hands with granny, and they love the time with her. (Whatever they want for dinner, bed time at 11:00pm,) I'm sure I'm just teasing, I hope!!!

But I'm sailing on Monday and it's like 10 below right now. BBRRRRRR!

 

I can't wait.

[halos]

Thanks Mini...nice to know that if indeed I am nuts, at least I'm not alone!! ;)

[chocolots]

I have 3 kids. Ages 16, 15 and 3. I don't feel the least bit guilty for leaving them !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am counting the minutes. Besides DH and I really need to let our hair down. What we plan on doing on the cruise would at the least embarass ...but most likely scar them for life! We plan on doing Disney this Fall with them.

 

It's time for Daddy and I to get our FREAK ON!!

Janet:eek:

[halos]

I have 3 kids. Ages 16, 15 and 3. I don't feel the least bit guilty for leaving them !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am counting the minutes. Besides DH and I really need to let our hair down. What we plan on doing on the cruise would at the least embarass ...but most likely scar them for life! We plan on doing Disney this Fall with them.

 

It's time for Daddy and I to get our FREAK ON!!

Janet:eek:

 

You GO Girl!!! :D

Have a great time!!

[Girlsnightout]

My mom, sister, girlfriends and I take our kids (starting at 7 months) on cruises and leave our husbands behind...I highly recommend it!;)

 

PS, When H and I go on vacation without the kids (at least once a year), we go someplace where we won't see ANY kids, that rules out mass market cruises AND guilt feelings....I also highly recommen THAT!

[halos]

My mom, sister, girlfriends and I take our kids (starting at 7 months) on cruises and leave our husbands behind...I highly recommend it!;)

 

:eek:

I bet the husbands highly recommend that as well. That's mighty nice of ya...much nicer than I'd be for sure!!

 

 

 

PS, When H and I go on vacation without the kids (at least once a year), we go someplace where we won't see ANY kids, that rules out mass market cruises AND guilt feelings....I also highly recommen THAT!

 

LOL! Sounds like a good idea. :D

[Girlsnightout]

..They don't know how easy it is, what with kids programs, chefs, waiters, housekeeping....sure beats those vacations at the beach cottage, where, as I always say, we wives do the same amount of work, just comes with a nicer view;) !

[OJulie67]

Last May we decided to leave our 10 month old DD at home at the last minute. We literally changed our minds 2 weeks before we left. My sister took care of her. We took our 5 year old, but we knew that our baby wasn't ready for the change that a vacation brings to a young life. Our DD did fine with her auntie!

 

I think your making a VERY wise decision! You and your husband will have a wonderful time, as did we. Cruising is great for older kids, but little ones just don't get much from the experience.

;)

However, with that said. We are going on another cruise in May for Mothers Day... and our 22 month old DD will be going this trip. We feel she's ready...as are we. We know it will be a different kind of vacation, but we want to give it a try. DH and I just went on a 3 day RCCL baja cruise a couple months ago, so we had our alone fun then.

But, in my longwinded way...only you know your baby. You guys will have a wonderful time, and your son will too (with Grandma and Grandpa)