For Parents with High School Aged kids

[Colleen27]

My son isn't quite high school aged but we left him home from last year's trip (he was 13) for a combination of reasons, not the least of which was some lazy habits that were dragging down his grades. He survived. We survived. He wasn't interested in going but did end up feeling a little left out when we got home because he missed the fun his baby sister had. I wouldn't want to do it again for a while because of that but if there comes a time when we genuinely can't work around his obligations in order for him to go with us we will vacation without him again; traveling is a big part of our lives and it isn't something we're inclined to stop or put on hold because one of the kids is growing up and has less time for family.