17 yo DS just informs me he doesn't even want to go on vacation...!!!!UPDATE PG 2

[Mercy]

Ok, now I'm really upset! I asked the kids 17 & 14 yo DS's if they would like to go back to WDW, a while ago.... "oh, yeah we want to go".

So I tell my DS today he had better inform work (works at local SuperFresh) that his family has vacation plans for 2 weeks in Aug. That is when is says, "I don't even want to go on vacation". AAAAgghhh!!! I could just scream! I've been planning this trip all year, now I'm just on the edge of my seat waiting for codes to come out.... and I hear this!!!

I said fine, I'll take some other deserving young kid! Anyone else have this problem?

 

[SugarBear]

Both my kids are bored with WDW.

The 18 y.o. is staying home alone for the first time. The 13 y.o. has to go, but we're also going to IOA and Universal.


I just don't understand where we went wrong.

 

[Stitch Inside]

I don't have that problem yet, but I was once 17. He doesn't think that you would leave him home alone while you go on a long vacation does he?

 

[Mercy]

Originally posted by Stitch Inside
I don't have that problem yet, but I was once 17. He doesn't think that you would leave him home alone while you go on a long vacation does he?

I would never leave him alone for that long. Sometimes he just says things for affect. It's not like we go every year or anything, we haven't been since 2000. I don't know maybe he was just kidding in his sick little way because he knows how much planning I put into these vacations.

 

[fran99999]

I feel your pain. I luckily had an easy alternative. My DD15 refused to go again this year. I invited one of her friends. She went with us last summer and things went well. BTW this friend almost lives at my house anyway, even adds to the grocery list on the fridge LOL.

I again invited with the stipulation she pay $ 500 that covers her plane and UPH. She will provide most of her own food $$. And any spending $$. I did ask her parents without her knowing then addressed my DD to invite her after the OK. Yes we will be more cramped but whats one more. I also have a DS5 so this gives her and us a break. DD and Friend can go ride those terrifying rides with my DH. DS5 and I can go back to ISW (yes closed during my visit ). They will also babysit for us so DH and I can go out to quiet dinner.

Also DS5 is in a terror stage the more eyes watching him the better. If he lives that long. I am going gray with his stunts, the child has NO FEAR. AGHHH

 

[Nathan's Grandma]

My one boss at work asked me to ask his son want he wanted to do for vacation this year. He is 17 and next year he will be leaving early in the summer to play football somewhere and this will be their last vacation. The next time I saw him (I am a secretary in a large high school) and asked he said "I don't want to go on vacation, I hate it." I asked him if he could take a friend would you want to go, and he said "YES" immediately.

While I know mom really wants this one big last family vacation a 17 year old doesn't look at it that way.

This happend with my son, now 27, when he was in high school. We went on a cruise and he wanted no part of it. Grandpa stayed with him must to his surprise. He now tells everyone that we would not take him with us!!!! You just can't win sometimes.

Kathy

 

[MELSMICE]

Well, we haven't had this problem yet with our DD's - 14, 11 & 11, but I think I might do this if it does happen:

--Leave then with a reliable relative for the 2 weeks & go enjoy yourselves while they are working.

--Give them opportunity to meet you down there for a short trip if you feel comfortable with allowing them to fly alone. Is there a non-stop flight available from your home town?

Again, I'm not in that situation yet, so good luck with your decision & good luck dealing with a 17-yr. old. My oldest is getting close to 15 & the "attitude" is coming out stronger every day. YIKES!!

 

[Merylj]

Oh yes, I know this situation well.
It took weeks of pleading to get my DD16 to agree to this up coming trip!
I don`t think there`s an easy solution. I did`nt mind the pleading, it helps that I have no pride!

Merylj.

 

[Castillo Mom]

My 15 year old is waaaaay excited about our first trip to WDW. He has two younger brothers, 9 and 12 and they're looking forward to it as well. I don't know what I would do if my teen didn't want to take vacations with us anymore. Since he's older and his brothers are daredevils, we decided to add a few days at Universal as a big surprise.

Maybe if you went to Universal a couple of days he'd change his mind.

 

[jimmalru80]

My DS is now 20, having just completed his soph year at the University of Pittsburgh. He has an intern job at school this summer and he can't wait to go back to WDW w/us in July. He has always looked forward to our WDW vacations, as do his twin sisters, (14). I wish I could offer some advice, but hang in there.

 

[Mercy]

Well, I need to talk to him again, maybe he was just joking. He has this very dry sarcastic sense of humor. It's just that when he said it, it sort of hurt my feelings. Like I said, I've been planning this for a while and he knows it.

I planned this trip thinking it may be one of our last vacations as a family he graduates next year and turns 18.

Well, like I said I'm not leaving him home, he'll go and have a good time once he gets there.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

My 17 yr old son will not go with us anymore... he is graduating High School in 2 weeks. We have and will allow him to stay home. In fact, he really hasn't gone with us since last June. When we go away for 2-3 days, he can stay by himself. When it is longer, I have him stay at a friends house. I am not crazy about the idea of doing it..but making him come with us will make him misrible and in turn ruin our trip, besides the fact he works & cannot get off as much as we go away... I have neighbors that tell me everything when I come home & my son knows that... he hates them for it... I thank them for it LOL... They let me know as far as what cars were in my driveway & how long they were there... I also have a 15 yr daughter...who wants to stay home this coming trip.... however...she has NO choice..she will be going She is too young to stay alone...(staying with her brother would be like staying alone...)

 

[anne1125]

We are going to wdw in Oct. and my 15 year old son is bringing a friend. We went to West Palm Beach last summer with just us and he was plenty bored. Lesson learned. We are going to Lake Tahoe this summer with just the 3 of us but my son and husband will do "guy" stuff like atv's and horseback riding so I think we'll all have fun. It definately gets harder pleasing everyone with our vacations. My older children (22 & 24) have long since refused our offers to join us.

 

[Disney_1derland]

My kids are very young so I'm a way off from having to deal with this. But, I just wanted to add......

It hasn't been that long since I was a teenager. I don't remember having a choice in vacation plans. They planned, I went. They never asked me if I wanted to go, they just said, 'get in the car, we're going on vacation'. At 17 and 18 I was allowed to stay home alone. While I was a very responsible teen I still did things that to this day my parents don't know about and would make the hair on your head stand on end. Regardless of how responsible I was, I wasn't responsible enough to be left alone for 4 days without any supervision. I made bad choices. A few of which were very dangerous.

My parents also knew that at this age bringing a friend along was necessary and gave us both the chance to distance ourselves from each other when needed.

Anyhow, in several more years when I'm posting these issues, I hope you experienced parents will be here to throw this post in my face.

Good Luck, hopefully these kids will see the disney 'light' and get with the program!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I had the same situation with my 16yo daughter this spring vacation. We went to Universal for a few days, along with other Florida sites (Kennedy Space Center and visiting with my sister in the panhandle of FL), and she was being a major brat at Universal. Finally said that she didn't want to be there, didn't want to vacation with her family any more, we hadn't asked her before making plans to go back there this spring break, etc. I was not a happy mom, to say the least.

We had planned a January trip to WDW, which is now off. I will be going to WDW with my 4yo this fall and meeting my sister and mother down there this December, but I have no plans to bring my daughter there. The thing that really made me mad about this last trip is that we had to get a second room at Universal since we are a family of 6, but could have all fit in one room if just 5 of us had of gone. I may bring my 10yo to WDW this January and there is a chance that all of us, except my daughter, may go in January, but I don't want to bring an ungrateful child on an expensive trip. I know that a lot of this is the normal breaking away that an almost college age child goes through, but it still was upsetting.

I'd also spent many hours planning the Unviersal/Florida trip and it was a slap in the face to me for her to tell me this. Good luck with your son!

T&B

 

[pokeysmom]

We let our kids age 22 and 19 take friends, they have done this for the last 4 years and it has worked out great. We tell the friends that they will need to pay for airfare, tickets and food at restaurants. We cover hotel, condo, and groceries. Main problem this year is that our daughter was going to take her boyfriend and they just broke up so unsure what is going to happen now, but I recommend inviting a friend if possible.

 

[Tamickey]

Kids are so unpredictable. I'd probably trim the trip to 10 days, and add in USF. A little more older stuff. But I sure wouldn't leave him home alone. I know he's older, but not old enough to stay out of trouble. I'd only go without him if he'd stay with a relative. Saying he doesn't want to go could also mean he's tired of hearing about it! We planners tend to go on so, and those around us can get sick of vacation before we even go!

 

[A Mickeyfan]

I have gone the road of "bringing friends" ...my son did out grow that too... my daughter hasn't ..problem with this trip that is coming up is that none of her friends can go with us... my youngest (11) her friend is going & her friends Mom & sister will eventually join us there. Funny thing about this trip...my youngest daughter's friend is the sister of my son's girlfriend..meaning his girlfriend will up there as well & he still has no intentions of going....

 

[Mercy]

OK, UPDATE!!!

I asked my son today if he was serious when he said he didn't want to go on vacation. He said, very matter-of-factly, "no, I want to go". So I asked him why he said he didn't, and he said, "I was just joking with you Mom".

Then on the way home from church, he says...."You know after I graduate, I'm moving to California". So I look at him and he gives me this long explanation how he's moving there and going to go to community college there, while trying to make it big with his band. Two minutes later, he says..."Mom, I'm joking".

AAAHHHHGGGG.... KIDS!!!!

 

[Jaci]

....freeze your kids and not let them age? Mine are DD(almost)6 and DD2. They are at such a fun age. I don't want them to get old and realize that mom and dad don't know everything and aren't really all that cool.