Anyone else NOT in favor of taking friends on vacation?

[parmstrong]

I read that suggestion a lot for older children, especially older, ONLY children like my son. I really resist that suggestion-so far my 11 year old has never asked. But I just feel like vacations are really a time to get away from everything and reconnect with the family, and having a friend along would really take away from that. Also, just like adults need a break from the stress of their lives, I also feel like children need a break from their own stress, and a lot of time that can mean friends and peer pressure. Does anyone else feel like I do? I know, I'm sure when he's 15, he won't want to "reconnect", but I don't know if bringing a friend is really the answer.

 

[hentob]

Parmstrong--I agree with you 100%.

 

[Maleficent13]

I can only respond for myself. My parents allowed me to take a friend along when I was 14. We still spent all our time during the day with the 'rents, and most of the nights too, but they felt better going off for some alone time knowing I was not sitting in the room by myself, bored.

 

[tiggersmom2]

I'm only speaking for myself but I don't want to be responsible for someone else's child.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

When I was a kid, we never took friends on vacation. Cousins sometimes, but that was different. Although, one time my parents did take one of my DB's friends because the friends parents were getting divorced and they felt he needed a break from the stress. But that was the only time we ever brought a non relative.

One thing that always gets me is parents who bring their teenagers boyfriend/girlfriend (of a few months or whatever) along on vacation.

My parents would never have allowed that.

 

[CEDmom]

Even though our DD is small I don't think I'd do this when she gets older. I agree about reconnecting as a family. Luckily I have several family members with children around our DD's age so if anything I could see planning to go to the same destination at the same time so our kids could play together. However, I think if you pick a popular family destination there are always kids to play with.

 

[Madi100]

We have taken one of my DD friends on mini vacations with us twice - once to Chicago and once to Kansas City. Both times my DD was the only child to go. My other DD was too young to go. If I had an only child, I would gladly take along a friend for her to play with. Of course, I'd make sure it was someone that she got along with very well. She has one friend (that we have taken with us) that they got along for most of the trip. They usually get along great until one of them is tired. Now my DD has a cousin, and they love each other. However, she tends to be a bit of a Drama Queen!! She exaggerates every situation. So, there is no way I'd take her on a week long vacation.

Since I have two children, and the younger one is old enough to enjoy vacations, I wouldn't think of taking another child with us for either of them. When there are friends around the two sisters want nothing to do with each other. If we are going on a family vacation, I want to spend time together as a family.

 

[pw2pp]

Our kids are 16 & 14 and we have never taken a friend on vacation. We also like to use vacation as family time. Our kids get along SO well when we are on vacation. We want our kids to have memories of vacation with each other (not the friend they took along that year).
Now, they do go on trips with friends via Youth Group trips and Boy Scout camping trips (for our son), but when it comes to family vacations, they are just that...... family vacations.
Besides, like another poster said, I don't want to spend my hard-earned vacation being responsible for someone else's kid.

I can see however, if you have an only child, that you may want to take a friend along.
To each his own.

 

[stinkerbelle]

can I just throw this out?
my parents once let my brother take a friend on vacation with us. We lived in Massachusettes at the time and were vacationing in Maine.

2 days into the trip the kid got homesick and wanted to go home...NOW

My mom had to drive 2.5 hours to meet his mother on the mass pike to drop the kid off...totally wasted a day of our vacation.

needless to say - my parents never let us bring a friend on vacation ever again.

 

[tmli]

I am the parent of an only child and I don't think I would ever take a friend along. Partly because my ds is enough to handle but also I really don't want to be responsible for someone else's child. On the flip side of that I
would not allow my ds to go on vacation with another family.....it's just something i am not comfortable with.

But as others have said to each their own.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by CEDmom
However, I think if you pick a popular family destination there are always kids to play with.

This is so true and I think good for kids to learn to be social outside of their set group of friends. My parents always took us to family type hotels and we always made friends with other kids in the pool, arcade or play areas.

I think if we had brought friends from home we would not have likely approached other kids and asked them to hang out with us.

 

[luvdzny]

I totally agree, for us vacation time is family time!!! My kids are 15 & 20 and Disney is just about the only place we spend a lot of time together anymore. DS (20) is busy with friends most of the time, but when Disney vacations come up he makes sure he is available to join us. We love the time that we spend together as a family, and I think adding a friend or 2 to that could just add stress. Next year may be different, we have an 18 year old boy living with us right now, he has really become part of the family, he can't make the trip this year, but we may take him next year.

 

[sue1013]

We have taken friends of my kids on vacation many times. Not until they were teenagers though. I didn't bring friends when they were younger because I would have felt like I was watching another kid. But when they are older and can do some things on their own it was fine. Probably made the trip more enjoyable. I don't think many teens are thrilled with the idea of being exclusively with Mom and Dad for a week.

 

[newholiday]

When we go away its just DS & myself
When he needs to find a "friend" to hang with he just introduces himself and off they go

 

[AirForceRocks]

Originally posted by sue1013
We have taken friends of my kids on vacation many times. Not until they were teenagers though. I didn't bring friends when they were younger because I would have felt like I was watching another kid. But when they are older and can do some things on their own it was fine. Probably made the trip more enjoyable. I don't think many teens are thrilled with the idea of being exclusively with Mom and Dad for a week.

I feel the same way. Our kids are still young, but when they are teens, I wouldn't have any problem with each of them bringing along a friend to hang out with.

 

[gymnasticsmom68]

Originally posted by newholiday
When we go away its just DS & myself
When he needs to find a "friend" to hang with he just introduces himself and off they go

 

[Tiggerkeeper]

When the kids were younger no, I wouldn't have invited friends on vacation. Now that DD(17) is "home alone" we do take her best friend along on vacation and we have a great time. I guess it just depends on who you are taking with you, this "child" has been around our house for 6 years now and we feel like she's a family member!

In fact, our chicks only beach trip is just two months away!

 

[lindajo]

Being an only child, my parents often let me bring a friend along with us on vacation. It was usually to visit far off relatives, where I would be bored by myself. I went on a trip with my best friend's family when I was about 9. That being said, I don't think I would want to have my kids bring along a friend on our family vacation. I wouldn't want to be responsible for someone else's child for that long, that far away from home. I think it's asking for more trouble than it's worth.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

when we were younger we never were allowed to bring friends...we never even thought about it...my brother and i are 20 months apart, im older...llast january we went on a cruise and each of us were allowed to bring a friend....we were 19 and 17 at the time, and our friends payed their own way...
now we are planning another vacation in january, and are allowed to bring friend again...were gonna be 20 and 18..

 

[pkasbohm]

We have taken my dn on a weekend trip 2 1/2 hrs. away mbut i would never take anyone's child farther than that. Now my kids are getting to the age where they have there hourly fights but it is amazing when we go on vacations that they seem to get along really well! I would consider taking dn again, but now there are more than just her so i would have a hard time choosing and end up taking them all--and what fun would that be have 10 little kids running around on your vacation???
So now i would probably just take my family!!!!
Pam