How much freedom for kids on the ship?

[Rock_Dr]

i just don't get it myself..but I do understand your point nonetheless...

 

 

We never want to meet others for excessive periods of time...sure a chat on deck or maybe a drink or spending an hour on the beach...but as far as the cruise is concerned...we just have no interest at all in finding others to hang out with....

 

yes, we have 4 kids of similiar age and we all stay together so it is impossible for us to even consider adding another family dynamic or any new found friends to our days...

 

I will always find it odd that parents taking a family vacation are so concerned about finding other kids ofr their kids to be with....

 

Why not just plan your vacation, excursions, beach days and activities around your own family?

 

And if that means the parents can't bring junior into the casino...so be it..

 

If it means that they must miss the disco at 2am...so be it..

 

If it means getting the family all snug in the cabin and going to bed...so be it...

 

traaveling as a family means making it work right....not worrying about who junior is going to hang out with...because they are hanging out with you...because you are a family...

 

if the parents want a different experience...why not just send junior away to camp the week of the cruise instead of bringing him along?

 

That way you are assurred that he is with his peers and learning to be on his own...with the added benefit that you cannot be reached to come and get him should he be uncomfortable at camp...and the parents can do as they please on the cruise without worring about their 12/14yo.

 

I know it sounds scarcastic......but seriously, it is a very viable solution....think it thru

 

sorry about the typos...keyboard is sticky today...100 degrees outside:eek:

 

DW and I are both teachers. We are with our children 24/7 almost all summer. We also spend almost all our free time together during the school year. We do plan to spend time together but we would also like for our children to experience other things and people. Living in a small town it is nice to meet people from other places. Meeting people from other places is a great learning experience.

[melli_fera]

On the dream, the kids weren't too bad. In fact they were pretty decent. My 4th cruise on the triumph was terrible. The elevator stunts was really getting to me. It became a game to jump off before being taken to every floor. They were doing hand stands in the elevators, chucking spit balls in the atrium. I even saw one kid ordering slices of pizza, breaking them into little pieces and thorowing it overboard then running back and forth like a maniac. The hallway noise was also unbearable. In their defense they are kids but they will only do what you let them do. As long as you set rules for them to follow and follow through to make sure they are sticking to them, they should be fine and give you a piece of mind so that you too can enjoy the vacay

 

This behavior doesn't fly in MALLS around here... how do they get away with it on a ship? I don't understand.

[H82seaUgo]

I will stick to my original response. Your point could have been just as effective without using third world. Professional would have done just fine. Adding third world sounds insulting IMO and has nothing to do with professionalism.

 

don't know why you have a problem with third world, but that's your problem. Replace it with australian, rural, or any other geographic adjective, you will see how harmless it is.

 

but it's definitely part of my equation, as i cannot attest to anything other than us law.

[Sailingstagediva]

Although I do recognize that my kids had a little too much freedom on the cruise, I allowed my DH to persuade me it was safe for the kids. That was our decision at the time and it did backfire on me a bit. Thankfully they are safe and I learned a huge lesson.

 

I understand families who want to spend vacation time together and that is wonderful! I also recognize the value of meeting new people, my kids having their own social life and developing a positive self image through independence. Vacation means different things to different people. There are no rules here EXCEPT respect for others. As long as my children are kind and considerate to fellow passengers, they have the right to spend time away from me and my DH. I also did enjoy a little time alone with DH and other adults. I think we found that balance. My children were told specifically when they needed to be where and what time; regarding meals, shows and excursions. Curfew was the only thing that needed "tweaking."

 

My point being that we all have a different idea of what a vacation is. If a cruise is meant (enforced) for families to always be together, there wouldn't be kids clubs or so many choices. However, families also have the choice to do everything together! No judgement here! :D

[mousey]

Not everyone wants to spend a 100% of their time together.

 

 

 

I totally agree with you, I certainly don't consider myself a bad parent because I want a little free time with the DH. We spend lots of quality time together everyday as a family. My DS is an independent study student so he's at home most of the day and I'm his backup support and the DH works from home. We do plenty of things together as a family because our DS plays in lots of golf tournaments. We travel all over CA going to tournaments with him. So, when we cruise, he gets some free time with the new friends he makes (one of the best things you can do for your child is to allow them to be independent and learn how to get along in the world on their own and feel secure about it...just MHO). :D

[Sailingstagediva]

[quote name='mousey'][quote name='meatloafsfan']Not everyone wants to spend a 100% of their time together.



I totally agree with you, I certainly don't consider myself a bad parent because I want a little free time with the DH. We spend lots of quality time together everyday as a family. My DS is an independent study student so he's at home most of the day and I'm his backup support and the DH works from home. We do plenty of things together as a family because our DS plays in lots of golf tournaments. We travel all over CA going to tournaments with him. So, when we cruise, he gets some free time with the new friends he makes (one of the best things you can do for your child is to allow them to be independent and learn how to get along in the world on their own and feel secure about it...just MHO). :D[/QUOTE]

I get it! DH works at home and I am there in AM to get them off to school and home by 4pm to check homework, cook dinner, etc. We are fortunate to sit down during the school year each night as a family, discuss our day and eat dinner together. I am grateful we have the ability to spend so much time together. We also have several long weekend vacations throughout the year! A little adult time is welcome!

[babyher]

[quote name='mousey'][quote name='meatloafsfan']Not everyone wants to spend a 100% of their time together.



I totally agree with you, I certainly don't consider myself a bad parent because I want a little free time with the DH. We spend lots of quality time together everyday as a family. My DS is an independent study student so he's at home most of the day and I'm his backup support and the DH works from home. We do plenty of things together as a family because our DS plays in lots of golf tournaments. We travel all over CA going to tournaments with him. So, when we cruise, he gets some free time with the new friends he makes (one of the best things you can do for your child is to allow them to be independent and learn how to get along in the world on their own and feel secure about it...just MHO). :D[/quote]

I absolutely agree .

DW and I have 4 kids (2 are from my first marriage, 2 from hers ) now all over the age of 18. We always made sure we did a lot of family things together , but because of circumstances. they also needed to grow up being able to do a little more for themselves than the average kid with 2 parents home all day.

I think we hit the right balance . We have a great time together (as we did just yesterday at my youngest's graduation party:) But they also all have really good heads on their shoulders and can do for themselves.

No matter how close a family is, kids are going to get to an age where they are going to want to be with friends and girlfriends and boyfriends. No reflection on the parents, just a part of growing up.

[Sailingstagediva]

[quote name='babyher'][quote name='mousey']

I absolutely agree .

DW and I have 4 kids (2 are from my first marriage, 2 from hers ) now all over the age of 18. We always made sure we did a lot of family things together , but because of circumstances. they also needed to grow up being able to do a little more for themselves than the average kid with 2 parents home all day.

I think we hit the right balance . We have a great time together (as we did just yesterday at my youngest's graduation party:) But they also all have really good heads on their shoulders and can do for themselves.

No matter how close a family is, kids are going to get to an age where they are going to want to be with friends and girlfriends and boyfriends. No reflection on the parents, just a part of growing up.[/QUOTE]

Good points! Everyone is going to raise kids differently. They didn't come with instructions so we do our best! We can only do what we were taught as kids with a few tweaks along the way. There is no right or wrong. If we teach our kids good morals and values, live by example, then you keep your fingers crossed and hope they make good decisions!