How do you explain DVC membership to your kids?

[OurDogCisco]

I love PFB idea. Thanks for sharing... I've been having issues with my 10 year old all week talking about things that are PRIVATE.

We keep this journal where we write back and forth to each other. So, I'll bring it up there.

Mainly this week her friends all have been comparing how many Webkinz's they own. So, it can even be on something as small as that. One of the girls in the group got totally upset because she only had 2.

 

[DVCLiz]

I love PFB idea. Thanks for sharing... I've been having issues with my 10 year old all week talking about things that are PRIVATE.

We keep this journal where we write back and forth to each other. So, I'll bring it up there.

Mainly this week her friends all have been comparing how many Webkinz's they own. So, it can even be on something as small as that. One of the girls in the group got totally upset because she only had 2.

The thing to remember about PFB is that it HAS to be a two way street. Once your child sees you keeping something private about him or her, he/she can relate so much better to the concept. If you ask your children to keep family things private and then you don't respect their need to keep the cute little stories about them off limits as well, you won't get as far!!

 

[ariel & eric]

When we bought our boys were 1 and 3 so they just grew up with us being members. DD was 6. I'm not really sure what we told her but we just kept going to OKW twice a year. My kids have always been taught not to brag about how many times they have been. All three have been more times than they have had birthdays but there friends don't know that.

 

[ChickieToo]

DD was only 2.5 when we bought in. Now she is 9, does well in school, and has akeen understanding on things that involve her, like sports, cheerleading, etc. However, regarding DVC, she is blissfully unaware. As far as I'm concerned she is on a need to know basis, and when I think she needs to know, she will. We go to WDW every year and we have taken large extended-family trips twice, and have met friends through DVC and travelled with them. However, like I said, she doesn't know what DVC really means, and has no clue as to the cost. Gosh, she goes nuts when she gets a $20 gift card, so I'm sure she can't fathom the real value of $10,000. We do discuss how lucky we are to be able to take this vacation every year and how you shouldn't speak about any of the things you do or have in a boastful manner, as it is impolite. We also discuss wealth, and how you can't tell how "rich" someone is by their outward possessions because people atend to place emphasis on things that matter to them, but those same things may not matter to others. She totally gets it. I think that is as far as the conversation needs to go IMHO.

Also, my DH and I take the Bill Cosby approach to our possessions and lifestyle, which is basically that it is ours and she is along for the ride. Basically, she has no right to brag about anything as she didn't work for any of it (trust me, it is much funnier when he does it). She totally gets that too.

Good luck with your conversation, none of this child-rearing stuff is easy.

BTW, I'm also going to adopt the PFB thing--genius!

 

[wdw1972]

My son was around 10, and I was a single mom. He grew up going on trips to WDW, as well as cruises & beach vacations. We're not rich, but we're not poor either, and don't blow money foolishly so I was able to budget for our trips.

I used our vacations as a learning experience for him. He attended schools where many kids might not have 3 meals a day, never mind vacations! We live in a nice part of town, but his schools (magnet schools) were in the ghetto, for lack of a nicer term. I made sure he knew I could afford these trips because I wasn't spending money on illegal drugs, cigarettes, etc....and because I got my education and work hard at my job - not calling in sick for the heck of it or giving attitude that would get me fired. I constantly stressed everything in life is choices....what you get is based largely on the choices you make and if he wanted to continue vacationing like this when he was grown up he needed to make the right choices to make that happen.

 

[MinnieGi]

We have owned DVC sine DD was a baby and DS was not even born yet. DD is now 7 and DS 3 1/2. The kids actually picked up on their own that we were DVC members. We never sat them down and told them, but I always told them about our vacation planning and where we were staying etc... Anyway after being there so many times DD would catch the "DVC sales show" in the room that they play on one of the resort channels and she asked, "Mommy are we Vacation Club Member?" She was so thrilled when I told her we were! She soon recognized the DVC logo and would point it out at the resort we were staying in and around the World.

It is not something she would even dream of flaunting. She is too innocent to even have that knowledge that it is something she could brag about!!! There is another DVC'er in her class and she likes to talk to the little girl about Disney, but not DVC. Most of the kids in her first grade room have been to WDW. Many right now are on spring break in all sorts of neat places like the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Hawaii, Cruises, skiing in VT and WV, at DE beaches etc... She was truely excited for all her friends who had vacation plans even though she does not for spring break. We were just at WDW over T-day week. Many of her friends parents own vacation houses, condos, other timeshares, but the kids really just think of them as vacation and not the money involved so I really don't worry about if affecting DD or DS's sense of entitlement.

BTW, I do love the PFB idea several have posted. What a great tool! Thanks!

 

[Boardwalker]

At this point, what I most often tell my kids is... "Sorry, we are out of points."
Of course my youngest turns 21 in a few days. She has had more than 10 years of trips with family and friends.
I have to agree with the idea that there is no reason to formally tell the kids. DVC was an investment that we made a long time ago. When the kids were old enough to realize that we were going to Disney alot, they asked. We explained things as they would understand them.
There will always be people who can afford to spend more or less on their vacation than you do, so we don't gloat, but neither do we feel shame.
We have never felt guilty about being able to go to Disney more often than others might. We work hard to earn our money and we saw DVC as an amazing financial investment. I guess because we think of DVC as a reward, not an entitlement, our kids felt the same way. Let your daughter work hard to earn her reward too. It will mean that much more to her. And any money she saves can go towards her souvenirs or a special treat, like a character meal or a special event.
If she is excited about her vacation, she is going to want to share the info. There is nothing wrong with that. But there is no reason to tell her about DVC until she is old enough to understand what it is.

 

[pilferk]

We went to WDW last year and just two weeks ago, we bought DVC . In DD5's school, she is the only one that has ever gone to WDW. In October, we are staying at OKW and AKV for 9 days. DH and I both try very hard in trying to raise a good human being and we don't want to give DD5 a sense of entitlement. I don't want her to go to school parading that we're members and we could go at least once a year. Although we're DVC members now, I still have not told her the October trip was a sure thing already. What I told her was if her grades in school continue to be good and if she continues to do the things listed in her "Responsibility Chart" like brushing her teeth, finishing her food, feeding her pet, doing her assignment, minimizing her trash/garbage (you get the picture), then we would go. She was so happy to hear this. As a result, she said she is going to help us save for the trip and make sure she's got stars on her chart.

How did you tell your kids? I'd like to hear how you did it... If you can write how old your kids were too, that would be nice. Of course how you would explain to a 12-year old would be different for a 4-year old...

Thank you!

--Disclaimer: I do not pass judgment on others as I don't want others to do that to me either. We all have our reasons of doing things the way we do. All I'm asking is how you did it. If you did tell your kids you're DVC members now, I do not in any way imply that they must be brats now boasting at school. I had to specifically say this because some threads get so intense in arguments. My thread only asks for your stories...

Cheers!

Our kids are 5, 3, and 18 months. We told them...though I doubt the wee one gets it...when we made our first trip "home" this past January. We simply explained that Mommy and Daddy had decided we wanted to be able to take a family vacation EVERY year, and since everyone in the family likes Disney so much, we chose to buy a "vacation house" that we share with lots of other people, at Disneyworld. We caveat that with the fact that, in order to COME on the family vacation, you have to do all the things you're supposed to do: get good grades, help out around the house, listen to mommy and daddy, etc...or you'd get to spend the week with grandma, instead of at Disney.

The 5 year old and the 3 year old definitely "got" it, and are "helping" to plan our next trip in December. We also do star charts for the kids...and each time they fill their chart they get to pick something "special" to do, from a list, usually for our trip.

 

[pilferk]

Our DS4 doesn't understand the whole DVC thing yet but does he ever LOVE his vacations! He is always "packing" for vacation. In fact, just tonight he was going to Grannie's to spend the night and he already had a bag packed when she asked. He was packed for Disney of course! He's always ready to go at a moment's notice. And he's very generous. He is constantly inviting people to Disney. "We're gonna take you to Disney World"...to all the kids in his preschool class, to his teachers, to the cashier at Wal-Mart, to anyone he meets. He has no concept of how much it costs, he just knows he likes to go. And to anyone who says, "He's only 4, why are you taking him to Disney, he won't remember anything." Oh ha ha. He remembers it all!

And he knows all the resort pictures from everybody's signatures on this board. He can recognize all the DVC resorts already.

We've created a monster!!

I'd love to introduce those people to my kids.

My DS3 still talks about the trip we took when he was about 18 months old....and a LOT about the trip we just took in January.

My DD5 also talks about BOTH those trips, all the time.

They might not remember every tiny detail....heck, neither do I. But DD5 remembers the first time she rode Splash Mountain (when she was 3) and DS3 talks about the monorail, fireworks, and meeting Mickey back when he was 18 months old.

We talk about our trips, within the family unit, a lot...and I'm sure that helps keep things "fresh" for them. But I don't buy into the "they won't remember it" theory.

Besides...I LIKE to go!

 

[eva]

Our kids are 5, 3, and 18 months. We told them...though I doubt the wee one gets it...when we made our first trip "home" this past January. We simply explained that Mommy and Daddy had decided we wanted to be able to take a family vacation EVERY year, and since everyone in the family likes Disney so much, we chose to buy a "vacation house" that we share with lots of other people, at Disneyworld. We caveat that with the fact that, in order to COME on the family vacation, you have to do all the things you're supposed to do: get good grades, help out around the house, listen to mommy and daddy, etc...or you'd get to spend the week with grandma, instead of at Disney.

The 5 year old and the 3 year old definitely "got" it, and are "helping" to plan our next trip in December. We also do star charts for the kids...and each time they fill their chart they get to pick something "special" to do, from a list, usually for our trip.

It can be a great idea to reward good grades, behavior, etc. But be very careful. If they do not do all the things listed, are you ready to give up the trip to WDW? Too often parents threaten things or make deals on things that they are not really prepared to follow through on. I'm not saying that you are one of those parents. But there are a lot of them out there. I see them in restaurants all the time, threathening to leave if the child "keeps it up." But rarely do I see them leave with their food half eaten.

 

[pilferk]

It can be a great idea to reward good grades, behavior, etc. But be very careful. If they do not do all the things listed, are you ready to give up the trip to WDW? Too often parents threaten things or make deals on things that they are not really prepared to follow through on. I'm not saying that you are one of those parents. But there are a lot of them out there. I see them in restaurants all the time, threathening to leave if the child "keeps it up." But rarely do I see them leave with their food half eaten.

No, but I'm ready to leave them (either of the two oldest, or both if necesasry) with my mother while the rest of the family goes. And my mother is ready to take them for that week, if need be. We coordinate the "worst case scenario" with her when planning our trips. Luckily, so far, we haven't seen any hints of that having to happen...but we've got 8 months, 1 week and 2 days until "liftoff", so....

We're also a lot more specific about what "good grades", "helping out", and "listening" are, to the kids.

I don't do "empty threats"...probably for the exact reasons you're thinking of. I don't think they send a good message, and I think consistency is one of the big keys to parenting.

I think we're on the same page with this one.

 

[eva]

No, but I'm ready to leave them (either of the two oldest, or both if necesasry) with my mother while the rest of the family goes. And my mother is ready to take them for that week, if need be. We coordinate the "worst case scenario" with her when planning our trips. Luckily, so far, we haven't seen any hints of that having to happen...but we've got 8 months, 1 week and 2 days until "liftoff", so....

We're also a lot more specific about what "good grades", "helping out", and "listening" are, to the kids.

I don't do "empty threats"...probably for the exact reasons you're thinking of. I don't think they send a good message, and I think consistency is one of the big keys to parenting.

I think we're on the same page with this one.

You sound like a very good parent. When my DD asked for parenting advice after having her first, I told her that Parenting 101 is to never threaten or promise anything you will not follow through on. In other words, always keep your word.

Going back to the original question, I agree with the others that say not to worry about telling your kids about buying into DVC. To be honest I don''t think that young kids really care that much, as long as they get to go to WDW.

 

[bwvBound]

How do you explain DVC membership to your kids?

I read the subject line and expected an entirely different conversation: revealing the purchase to one's adult children.

I was in my late 30's when my folks confessed to owning a timeshare. They didn't exactly pony-up the info either -- it was revealed only when I told them we were researching a possible purchase.

OP: I really don't think I'd try to explain DVC/timeshare/ownership to a child that age. Growing up I enjoyed annual trips to the Jersey Shore (same beach house every visit), summer camp at Schroon Lake, NY, roadtrips and plenty of RV adventures. I didn't need to know the logistics behind the trips -- only that my folks cared enough to make them happen for us.