Help! Kids' behavior is making me want to cancel (vent)

[erinch]

if you wanted one special evening out, my kids loved the neverland club at the poly for their own special "time" but would have not liked an in-room sitter. When our DS was around 7 and our little one was little she got to have her own evening at a kids club while we did an eticket night with him. He loved a little time to be able to move faster with mom and dad and she liked the down time

 

[Debbie7452]

Hi there,

I am the Mom from that other thread. I just had to offer my sympathy for what you've been going through. I know the stress I felt when my kids were acting up. I felt just awful! I kept asking myself "what am I doing wrong?!"

I'm so glad that things are looking up for you, now. My kids just started back to school and, like Disney Magic, they are getting along again. It's probably better that you have confronted this issue before your trip. Now the air is clear for you to have a wonderful time together.

One thing we do often is have one of their friends over to play. I know it sounds crazy to invite MORE kids into the house, but in our house it has a calming effect. Having another child around breaks up the sibling dynamic somehow.

Good luck!

 

[Bobrow]

My 3 boys,7,11,13. Fight constantly around the house,usually when they are bored or friends are over. Older one likes to show off,but I find on vacation ,they get along the best. they don't have anyone else to rely on for fun so they have to enjoy each other. If someone has the answer fro sibling bickering please tell me!

 

[FLgirl1203]

I have been in the same boat! I also have children the same age (boys). This summer I have threatened to send my 4yo to military school! Ha Ha! I have also found myself going back and forth prior to Disney trips on what to do. I love the CDisney rules...those are key! We do the same thing.

Your children will most likely get over fighting with each other once you arrive. Here's a few of our tips:

Be sure to take LOTS of breaks...naps even
Don't feel like you have to do a park each day...enjoy the pool, go to DD, minature golf, etc. It's tiring even for adults after a few days.
Split up...have your hubby take one child for a few hours. This will allow special time with each child and you can each have a little "adventure" on your own. Switch children the next day.
Know when they've had enough...my 4yo didn't want to watch the fireworks one year...it was only 15 minutes away but he had had enough...my DH rode the monorail around and around till they were over.
Control their spending on the souveniers. I pick one day and they are allowed a certain amount of money. Stick to your guns or it will be an ongoing battle every day.
(By the way, I tried doing Disney Dollars and that didn't work for me either....it's too intangible for them to understand I think.)

Good luck...I hope you have a magical time...just try to have low expectations and the kids will love just being away from home in a magical place.

 

[Lisa3]

There has been so much good advice offered here that there really isn't much more to add. I also have three kids (8, 7, 5) who have been driving each other and myself nuts mostly because at least one person in the family has been sick since mid July (and we are very rarely sick). Not being able to get out or have friends over is unbearable. I also do not think you should cancel your trip. I know our family argues more when we don't have any fun times together. Our last Disney vacation was just what the doctor ordered especially for our then 4 year old. I couldn't believe how well all of the kids behaved.

One thing I did learn on our last trip was to make sure your days and meals are planned (I tried to do a sit down Character meal mid day as a time to rest and the kids were still entertained). The worst thing is to stand in the middle of a hot park and have a "discussion" with DH about what to do next. Know which attractions, shows, parades and restaraunts you want to visit and plan your day around them. This doesn't mean you must stay with the plan - if something isn't working move on to the next. Trying to decide where to eat when everyone is hot and hungry almost sent DH and myself to divorce court - I went back to the resort that night and made PS's for the rest of the trip. Good luck and have a fun trip!

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

Yes, we are going! The kids have had some better days (even with some pretty low moments) recently, and my gut feeling is that they will put on their proper "public" behavior there.

Luckily, we have done a lot of advance planning (the trip was originally scheduled for last December). We've talked about everyone's must-sees and have put them in an order based on how long the lines for each attraction are likely to be at a given time (ex: do Splash Mountain 1st), as well as their location relative to each other. The kids have pretty much memorized the preset touring plans for each park!

I printed out a lot of the great ideas people have shared here. The past few days we've talked about consequences for griping, arguing, etc. - the kids actually agree that offenders should take a time-out that requires skipping the next ride with Grandma while the others still get to go. I'm sure if it's necessary it will happen only once!

Well, we're about 60 hours away from departure. DD thanked me today for all I've done to save and plan for our vacation: she says it will be magical just to share it with her family. Now THAT'S my girl!

Thank you all for your advice and support.

Lori