Anyone feel guilty for ...

[SleepyatDVC]

taking kids to WDW so often?

I took my 2 DDs to Florida for 3 weeks in October. We went with my Mom (on her dime). DH stayed home. We spent the first week at WDW, the second week on a cruise, and the third week in Miami.

My girls are 2 1/2 and almost 5. Older DD is in pre-K so she had to miss school. Teacher and administration had no problems.

We are going to WDW again for older DD's 5th birthday in January for 2 weeks. It will be a family reunion trip with DH's parents and siblings & their families.

Well, a few days after I took DD back to school when we got back from our October trip, some of the other parents jokingly "thanked" me because all their kids wanted to know why Emma got to go to Disney so often and when were they going to go?!!!

When we got home, I told her that she was very lucky to get to go to Disney so often. Not everyone is so lucky. Everyone already knows where we are when she's not in school, so she shouldn't talk about too much with her friends.

Obviously, it's impossible to tell an almost 5 year old to NOT talk about her special birthday trip! But she agreed not to KEEP talking about it because that would be bragging and rubbing it in!!!

Anyone else have this problem?

 

[BelleBeautyandtheBeast]

Don't worry about what others think!!! Enjoy your special trips

My 5 yo is in Kindergarten and last week right before Thanksgiving break he announced to his whole class that he was going to Disney World over break. Umm, he was lying! He had decided we needed to go so he thought telling everyone would help him get there LOL. I am keeping our July trip a secret for as long as I can so I don't have to hear talk non-stop about it for the next 7 months.

5 yos like to talk and it is impossible to make them stop

 

[bratdeb]

Sorry just wanted to see my countdown

 

[skiwee1]

I too have an Emma! She is 4 and goes to WDW between 22-28 days a year. She has been 8 times so far and is going back again in April. I don't feel guilty at all about taking her. I figure she will be fine as long as I don't continue this many visits well into elementary school Once she gets to 1st grade I will cut down to one 14 day trip a year. It's funny because she goes to preschool with another little girl who is also a WDW regular. They sit together and chat about Disney all time. Her teacher said it sounds like they are travel agents for WDW!

 

[Jordan's MOM]

You know, most preschooler are not at all upset at the good things that other children get to do. They are happy for them. A preschooler that has never been to WDW, has no clue as to what really goes on there anyway. It's the parents that try to "keep up with the Jones" type things. I would never worry about this, though, I do think that you are intilling great vaules in your daughter by discouraging bragging to her friends. I also would not worry about too many missed days of preschool. I am a director at a wonderful preschool and we encourage parents to travel and spend as much time with thier children as they can. It does get harder as the get older, though I still take my son out for a week. Your priotiry setting includes WDW and there is nothing wrong with that!!!!!

It's snowing at my house and we leave for WDW in 32 hours!!!


Jordan's mom

 

[GoofyB]

We only decided to stop taking our kids out of school just this year (my oldest is in the 6th grade). In years past, we would get the occasional disapproving look from a teacher, but more often or not they were wishing they could go too! In 3rd grade my son's teacher sailed a lot, and since we happened to be going on the cruise, she was thrilled. She had him talk to the captain, find out about the ship and draw a map of our course. Last year my son's k'garten teacher was going several weeks after us and she made him a Disney journal to fill out, telling her his favorite rides and essentially having him make a "guidebook" as homework.

I guess it all depends on your teachers. As long as you give them advance notice, they will usually tell you what the kids should be studying while you're away. As for the (jealous) parents? Fawgetaboutit!

 

[winniedapooh]

I get nasty comments made by my family members. Which is probably why I don't tell them we are going until a month or so prior to our trip. If I thought I could get away with it I wouldn't tell them at all. Some people just don't get it, lol. As for people at school, only once was a teacher nasty to us when we took DS then in 1st grade out-we had been begging for testing for over a year and they decided that when we were going they would test him. It was the best decision we made taking him anyhow and waiting for the testing because he came back a new and happy kid. Testing showed dyslexia and he is rec. help! Pixie dust to you and enjoy your trips!

 

[MinnieGi]

I agree with Jordan's Mom that preschoolers are happy about the fun things the other children get to experience. While the others may not be visiting WDW so often they probably have other fun experiences that they share with the class and that your DD is happy to hear about.

My DD's 3yo class was estatic in October that she brought back Disney character cookies to share at snack time. She's already told them she'll bring more when she goes again - which is in February! I cherish this time where it is easy to take DD out of school and travel.

Enjoy your trips!

 

[SleepyatDVC]

Thanks for all the replies and encouragement!

We're lucky to be able to go so often. And lucky that no one really is nasty or giving us a hard time.

The "comments" from the other Moms were good natured ribbing. But it did make me a little self-concious.

I sure all of DD's classmates were happy and excited for her. Don't think there was any jealousy there. They all wanted to sit next to her when we got back from our trip. They had to take turns over the course of a couple of days. She was so happy about that.

But I was afraid that maybe their excitement for DD might have encouraged them to beg Mom and Dad if they could go to Disney soon - putting Mom and Dad in a hard position.

Oh well, it's not a big enough concern to stop our trips!!!