Does anyone take special mother/child trips?

[rnorwo1]

Or dad trips? I was just reading on the disneyland boards, preparing for our trip coming up, and several posters were talking about how they take turns with each of their children doing a special one-child only trip. I think this sounds so nice, so I was just wondering who has done it and if you mind sharing some details? Do you pick one age to take each child? If so, what has been the best age? Is this an additional trip to the family vacation, or does it replace it? Do you let the child decide where to go? For those who took special trips outside of disney, where did you go?

Thanks for any info!

 

[tlenzendorf]

Yep, we leave Thursday! My girls have great golden birthday ages, 15 and 18. For their golden birthdays they get to pick anyplace within the continental United States they want to go. Initially DD picked New York, until I reminded her that her birthday is in January and we would be walking everywhere. She then picked DL for her first trip to Cali and DL

 

[rnorwo1]

Oh, that sounds great! My kids are 12, 8, and 4, so I'm not sure what age we should do this.
This will be our first trip to CA also... We will be going to San Diego and DL, so excited!

 

[Acklander]

Dh did this with each of the kids when they were 13. He figured that's about the age when they start pulling away and it becomes more about the friends, so he considered it a big blowout, one on one, last hurrah type trip. With our oldest (who was big into sports) it was a season of following their football team to all the games, and with the youngest it was a trip to see the northern lights in Norway. It was a trip that was all about the kid and what they enjoyed together

 

[woodkins]

I take my daughter to WDW every year for a mom daughter trip. She is 11 and we started when she was 3. It's a fun time to do different things. We will eat dessert for dinner, silly things that we wouldn't or couldn't do on a family trip.

 

[bigmama67]

I have taken my son (now 11) to Arizona twice to visit family, just the two of us. Once pre-DD when he was 3, and again when he was almost 9 for his cousin's Bar Mitzvah. DD is 5 and I am hoping/planning to take her to Arizona this December (she'd be just past 6) on a mom-daughter trip. We would include taking her to her first NUTCRACKER with my SIL and SIL's Aunt. Girls' night out! I am optimistic that we will squeeze this in after DS' birthday and before Hanukkah. ;o) We can stay with relatives and won't rent a car, so it's mainly flights and food.

 

[llbmom]

My DD(17) and I just spent 12/30-1/4 at Disney. I wanted us to do something special since she will be graduating next year and going 4-6 hrs away depending on which college she chooses. We had a great time! We stayed until 3am for the MK EMH! We had tea at the Grand Floridian and enjoyed touring some resorts-things my husband and two boys would not really enjoy. We had an extended Christmas break so the timing worked for us. I plan to take the boys somewhere when they are about the same age. I think my younger son would enjoy Disney at Halloween. My older son my actually prefer Universal by then. It really is special to have that one on one time with each child.

 

[Colleen27]

I did that this year and it was so great that we're thinking of making it tradition. For DD12's trip, I took her and her BFF (who is practically family - they've been friends since before they started school) to WDW and on a manatee kayaking excursion on the Gulf Coast. DS15 and I spent a weekend fairly close to home, in Detroit, for a two-day music festival he wanted to attend. And DD5 & I had a wonderful Disney trip a couple weeks before Christmas to see the lights. The only question is if the budget will stretch enough to do this every year or every other year.

I am also saving and planning for a special trip the year each of the kids graduate from high school. DS15 wants to visit the UK, DD12 would like to go to Japan. DH has no desire to go on either trip and probably couldn't travel safely in Japan, so we've decided those are also going to be one on one trips with me and the new grad.

 

[Minnie-Mickey]

I have done this with my DD only. My DS is into high adventure boyscout trips they go all over the country for weeks at a time from sailing/ island hopping in fla to hiking in Philmont New Mexico. So DD is left behind each time. The rule was the two of us would go away when he was gone at least every other time. So far we have sailed the Dream 5 nights and her Grandmother joined us (loved it), WDW (all stars as it was the two of us only), stayed in a B & B on Martha's Vineyard and learned how to windsurf. Or for me learn how to fall in the water. My DH has taken my DS on whitewater rafting trips and river canoe trips men only year after year. I would change it up and have him take DD and I take DS but I think my DH is afraid of spending alone time with a 14 year old girl.

 

[southlakejr]

DH and I don't have kids, but my mom used to take me to Disneyland for my birthday when I was a kid. I think we started going when I was around 5, and stopped when I was 8. We lived in northern CA, so we would just drive down. My sister would stay with my dad. My mom was a single mom so, as an adult, I appreciate the financial sacrifice that must have been for her even more. Plus, my birthday is in November, so I even got to miss some school (score!). If DH and I ever decide to have children, I think I would like to do the same kind of thing, I still have great memories of it 20 years later. So for all of you that are considering it, even if it isn't Disney, do it! Your kids will really remember the time you took to invest in them personally.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I've done it. One trip to Disney with just my son when he was 12 and another with just my daughter when she was 9.

It was fun. The trips were short - only 4 days, 5 nights but it was enough time for us to enjoy.

It was in addition to the normal summer vacation.

 

[jessiesue]

I have 3 boys. My oldest and I went on a cruise. My middle son and I went to Disney. They chose the destination and they were each 5 nights. My youngest has not chose a destination yet but we will prob go within the next year or so. The trips did not replace family vacations. I would love to do it again with each one but I really don't think that will happen.

 

[Gracomom]

I went last December to Mexico with my (then) 4 year old son and left my (then) almost 2 year old daughter at home. DH and I were supposed to go away on a babymoon (I was pregnant with our 3rd), but something came up and he couldn't get the time off work. I had my heart set on the vacation and we had already save, so I went with my son to Dreams Riviera, which was lovely. He loved the individual attention. I didn't bring my daughter as it was just too much to travel alone with 2 of them while pregnant. I'm so glad it was just us though. He got to get dressed up some nights and be my "date" to the fancier restaurants, which he loved, and other nights we just ordered up room service after a long day in the sun. It was an all inclusive with a fantastic kids camp, so a couple times he spent a few hours in there while I went to the spa or had a nap. Best week ever. Can't wait to do a week like that with my girls.

We don't have a set schedule for when we'll take our kids, but I imagine every couple years we'll do a smaller family vacation to save room in the budget for a solo parent-child vacay. Probably the next one being Dad and one or maybe two of the kiddos for a few days to check out the new Carsland in Disneyland.

 

[jen73]

yes! I love doing mom/sons trips or mom/daughter trip. Best times ever!! First mom/sons trip (we have twin boys) was to DW 4 years ago and we had the BEST time ever. We are doing it again this coming Thanksgiving. We are excited and we all 3 plan our trip together. We also did Wash DC last year for Spring Break (our twins were 11). We each had our list of To Do in DC, so that was great.

DD and I went to NYC last summer for a week and this year, she and I will going to Boston on her fall break in Oct.

I felt bad initially because hubby misses out (but he travels soooo much, the last thing he wants to do is travel more and he would rather take the whole family somewhere) but these are/will be special memories for years and years to come. I definitely recommend them!!

 

[rnorwo1]

DH and I don't have kids, but my mom used to take me to Disneyland for my birthday when I was a kid. I think we started going when I was around 5, and stopped when I was 8. We lived in northern CA, so we would just drive down. My sister would stay with my dad. My mom was a single mom so, as an adult, I appreciate the financial sacrifice that must have been for her even more. Plus, my birthday is in November, so I even got to miss some school (score!). If DH and I ever decide to have children, I think I would like to do the same kind of thing, I still have great memories of it 20 years later. So for all of you that are considering it, even if it isn't Disney, do it! Your kids will really remember the time you took to invest in them personally.

OP here... This made me tear up!
Our oldest (12) has some medical issues that require him to go to a children's hospital 5 hours away, so we've always tried to do something special on those trips with him. He also went to England and Germany with us when he was 9, and that was the most amazing time with him, but that was just bc the other two were too young to handle the flights. So I've never thought of these as special trips b/c we just didn't have a choice. But for some reason, when I think about purposely leaving the other two kids at home, it breaks my heart, lol!

Thanks so much for the ideas, I think I'm sold! Now I just have to figure out how to find the time and extra money for the extra trip!

 

[Fantastic4]

Thank you for this idea! I brought it up to DH and he agrees it would be great. We have a girl and boy. I'm thinking a mom-daughter father-son when they are 12 and 18 and a mom-son father-daughter when they are 16. DH is Army so to try every year isn't realistic. But special ages I think would make the trips that much more special.

 

[pednurse]

I've done this with both kids, in different ways. I took my son (my eldest) to Oregon when he was 6, leaving my daughter (who was 2 at the time) at home. We had moved from Oregon to Indiana when he was 4 & he really missed his friends & all the fun places we went when we lived there, all before DD was born. As he's gotten older, he's not wanted to spend as much time with me as with his dad---they do a lot of hunting/camping, leaving our DD & I home (they camp in the winter & neither of us like the cold lol). So I cherish the memories of that mom/son trip together. Due to finances, I'd never had the chance to do a similar trip with my daughter, until this past fall, when she was 11. She chose to go to WDW, so in October we went for 8 days & had a wonderful time. I treated her to the Wild Africa Trek (worth EVERY penny!!) as she has a great love of animals. We will also find something small & nearby to do in a couple of weeks when my husband & son go camping again. I think doing solo kid trips is an awesome way to stay connected with my kids, and it doesn't matter if they're long or short, far or near. Family vacations are wonderful (we alternate years with one year being a bigger trip, the other being close to home) & I cherish those times as a family. But I also cherish the times individually with each child when I can focus on just them.

 

[JandJ]

My mom and I had a very close and special relationship. She and I took trips just the two of us, as a kid and when I was an adult. It doesn't have to be a big trip, though. Some of my best memories of my mom were days she'd let me miss school (when there wasn't a test or something important) and we'd go to the mall, have lunch out, go to a movie, and just talk. Now that she's gone, those are some of my best memories.

 

[rnorwo1]

Good points about not having to be big trips!

 

[cricketgirl]

My youngest son (27) and I do a Mother/Son trip to Disney World. We acually leave in 9 days. Last year was our first. It was kinda a fluke but he fell madly in love with Disney World like his mom and now it is our thing. My other kids don't really "get" the whole Disney thing and don't really have time for mom things now. Hopefully someday they will.