With our older children, if they want to, if they are able to, they are welcome and wanted.
Speaking as someone whose parents regularly did this with a younger sibling, I can tell you my feelings were incredibly hurt. If it's a family vacation, family goes.
With our older children, if they want to, if they are able to, they are welcome and wanted.
Thank you to those of you who suggested him flying separately and just joining us for a few days. Not sure why I had not thought of that! I think the main reason that he would want to go is for Universal, we haven't been since HP has been there and I know he wants to do that. I could plan for us to go there when he's there so he won't miss out
A crappy thing to do.OP...love this thread because I am under similar circumstances. I have only read the original post because I was so excited to reply...will have to go back and read entire thread.
My kids are DS-18 (senior) and twin DDs-16 (sophomores). My DS had been griping a lot on the past few vacations about how boring it was and 'why couldn't we leave him home'. Our Xmas 2013 trip to WDW was MISERABLE due to his griping and complaining...MISERABLE. Then, like child birth, we forgot the pain and took he and his GF to Disney's HHI resort this past summer. While it was better since he had his GF, they still complained since it wasn't all commercialized like OC MD is and they couldn't walk a busy boardwalk late at night...so they were bored. But they enjoyed the sleeping and eating and the beach so most of the time they were okay.
Now we are planning our 2015 vacays and he informs us that he wants to go to WDW and bring his GF because she has never been. They will both be 18.5 and can do their own thing. So I booked our trip for Aug and added them to the resie (we are DVC so I got us a 2BR villa...well booked it separate as a 1BR and a studio, long story as to why). DH, DDs and I all have APs but DS does not. So I will have to get he and his GF park hoppers and we're doing 2 days at US so I'll have to get those tix too. And I will pay for meals (we do a lot of TS at WDW). We are driving, so no airfare to worry about but hotels to/from will be interesting with 6 of us. The 2 of them are adding lots of cost to our trip...uggghh (but it's knid of a graduation present to them). I feel, and I have told him, it's the last trip I plan around our family of 5. In the future it will be 4 of us as he will be an adult and have his own crazy schedule and life. If he can join us on some other trips, fine but we can't take his life/schedule into consideration anymore (it's tough enough, currently, with all 3 kids in HS).
I also booked a cruise for DH's Xmas present (for Thanksgiving week). He has been wanting to go on a cruise. I booked it for Thanksgiving week since my DDs are heavily involved in travel softball and they have very limited time when they can vacay. They always have Thanksgiving week off from school and softball. But DS will be in college and not have that whole week off. So I just booked the 4 of us. He, just today, griped about not being included. I swear I think they will gripe about anything no matter what you do...if you book them they gripe that they don't want to go and if you don't book them they gripe that they want to go...WTH!!!!
So, I am going with my plans and not stressing. He has a whole lifetime of vacations ahead of him. We are including him and his GF in on our Aug trip to WDW. I will include him when I can but I can no longer accommodate his schedule. I also look forward to the day, not too far from now, when it will be just DH and I vacationing alone. I will still love to get my adult kids together on vacations with us every now and then. Curious to see what others have to say.
OP...love this thread because I am under similar circumstances. I have only read the original post because I was so excited to reply...will have to go back and read entire thread.
My kids are DS-18 (senior) and twin DDs-16 (sophomores). My DS had been griping a lot on the past few vacations about how boring it was and 'why couldn't we leave him home'. Our Xmas 2013 trip to WDW was MISERABLE due to his griping and complaining...MISERABLE. Then, like child birth, we forgot the pain and took he and his GF to Disney's HHI resort this past summer. While it was better since he had his GF, they still complained since it wasn't all commercialized like OC MD is and they couldn't walk a busy boardwalk late at night...so they were bored. But they enjoyed the sleeping and eating and the beach so most of the time they were okay.
Now we are planning our 2015 vacays and he informs us that he wants to go to WDW and bring his GF because she has never been. They will both be 18.5 and can do their own thing. So I booked our trip for Aug and added them to the resie (we are DVC so I got us a 2BR villa...well booked it separate as a 1BR and a studio, long story as to why). DH, DDs and I all have APs but DS does not. So I will have to get he and his GF park hoppers and we're doing 2 days at US so I'll have to get those tix too. And I will pay for meals (we do a lot of TS at WDW). We are driving, so no airfare to worry about but hotels to/from will be interesting with 6 of us. The 2 of them are adding lots of cost to our trip...uggghh (but it's knid of a graduation present to them). I feel, and I have told him, it's the last trip I plan around our family of 5. In the future it will be 4 of us as he will be an adult and have his own crazy schedule and life. If he can join us on some other trips, fine but we can't take his life/schedule into consideration anymore (it's tough enough, currently, with all 3 kids in HS).
I also booked a cruise for DH's Xmas present (for Thanksgiving week). He has been wanting to go on a cruise. I booked it for Thanksgiving week since my DDs are heavily involved in travel softball and they have very limited time when they can vacay. They always have Thanksgiving week off from school and softball. But DS will be in college and not have that whole week off. So I just booked the 4 of us. He, just today, griped about not being included. I swear I think they will gripe about anything no matter what you do...if you book them they gripe that they don't want to go and if you don't book them they gripe that they want to go...WTH!!!!
So, I am going with my plans and not stressing. He has a whole lifetime of vacations ahead of him. We are including him and his GF in on our Aug trip to WDW. I will include him when I can but I can no longer accommodate his schedule. I also look forward to the day, not too far from now, when it will be just DH and I vacationing alone. I will still love to get my adult kids together on vacations with us every now and then. Curious to see what others have to say.
My grandmother still takes all of us on vacation with her. My cousin and I are both 25 and my uncle is in his 50's and my mother is in her 40's! We actually just went on a "girl's trip" to WDW this past October.
My DH and I are discussing a November trip to WDW, we have 4 children, ages at the time of trip will be 20, 13, 11 and 9. We have decided to go in November because we really want to see all of the Christmas decorations and this is the first time my DH will be able to get away from work at that time of year. DS 19 will be in school, DH and I kinda assumed that he would not be going with us this year. My DS asked me the other day if we were taking a trip this year and I told him that we were thinking November, I think he assumes that he will be going. I didn't have the heart to tell him that we weren't planning on him going because we figured he'd have school. Also by him not going we will be saving a lot, in airfare, tickets and food. I hate to sound cheap and say we aren't bringing him because of the cost but realistically, it does come into play. We are all going to the Outer Banks this summer so it's not like he will never vacation with us again. DH and I both were talking about it and said that our parents went on vacations all of the time when we were in college but we didn't have younger siblings going with them so it's a little different. So my question is, do we suck it up, allow him to miss school and go with us or do we figure a way to nicely tell him that we weren't planning on him going? I hate to make him left out of the loop so my mom guilt is kicking in overdrive
I didn't go away for college and it was so nice to have the privacy and independence.