Need to vent...

[jojbell4]

Ugh...I need to vent and have no where else to go with this. My mother needs to go to Florida to deal with some property. My sister, my son, and I were supposed to go with her. My sister's idea was to also go to Disney...then she backed out. My husband stepped in and said he would go. My mom will not fly so we must drive. The trip is a month away and I just made my final payment. Now my husband says he may not be able to be away from work for that long and does not think he can go. We have been having major issues so I can not say I am surprised....but I am flabbergasted that he is okay with my driving myself and my son 2000 miles by myself. What am I going to do now? We live in New York. My mom is 72. I don't know if I can handle the drive all by myself. My mom may not be around or healthy enough for a trip later at 72...and she is excited to see Disney with her grandson. My sister still can not go. My brother does not wish to go. What am I going to do?????

 

[Minerva Mouse]

How old is the son? Is he able to help with driving?

 

[jojbell4]

No...my son is 11. He is another reason that I do not want to cancel. He loves Disney and it would crush him not to be able to go because his dad has chosen yet another thing before us.

 

[Planogirl]

I've driven from Texas to Florida several times with just my son. Do you have a trustworthy vehicle? Could you take the autotrain?

 

[seashoreCM]

Allow more time for the trip, namely plan on stopping overnight along the way.

If it would be easier, don't reservet he hotel in advance. This way you are not under pressure to get so far (to the hotel's location) each night.

 

[GreenCntryGirl]

I drove from Buffalo, NY to Chicago by myself with a 6 month old.

I drove from Chicago to Orlando with a teen and a 9 year old.

Countless times from Joplin to Chicago.

We just get in the car and go.

 

[Phatoomch]

Ugh...I need to vent and have no where else to go with this. My mother needs to go to Florida to deal with some property. My sister, my son, and I were supposed to go with her. My sister's idea was to also go to Disney...then she backed out. My husband stepped in and said he would go. My mom will not fly so we must drive. The trip is a month away and I just made my final payment. Now my husband says he may not be able to be away from work for that long and does not think he can go. We have been having major issues so I can not say I am surprised....but I am flabbergasted that he is okay with my driving myself and my son 2000 miles by myself. What am I going to do now? We live in New York. My mom is 72. I don't know if I can handle the drive all by myself. My mom may not be around or healthy enough for a trip later at 72...and she is excited to see Disney with her grandson. My sister still can not go. My brother does not wish to go. What am I going to do?????

Take a deep breath. You CAN do this. Make sure your vehicle is ready for a long journey, plan it well with plenty stops and turn the journey into part of the adventure. Show yourself what you are capable of

Good luck

 

[Cafeen]

No...my son is 11.

Pfft, as long as he can reach the pedals! (Yes, I am JK )

Split the drive up to 2 days and stop somewhere in the Carolinas. You'll be fine and it'll be some great times between the 3 of you.

As I was growing up, Mom and I took several trips in the car, either between NH and MI or NH and FL. We just would stop halfway or so and do the rest the next day. No worries at all.

And then, when you come back, you can rub those good times in his face for being a party pooper .

 

[Minerva Mouse]

Take a deep breath. You CAN do this. Make sure your vehicle is ready for a long journey, plan it well with plenty stops and turn the journey into part of the adventure. Show yourself what you are capable of

Good luck

I agree, it sounds like you really do want to go, but you are overwhelmed and stressed because of other circumstances. I say take a step back (are you a AAA member? they can help with routes) plan a route with plenty of stops and try to just take it easy. Stop when you need to and try to make the driving fun. Good luck

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Take a deep breath. You CAN do this. Make sure your vehicle is ready for a long journey, plan it well with plenty stops and turn the journey into part of the adventure. Show yourself what you are capable of

Good luck

This is worth repeating. I also agree that you shouldn't have a planned stop in between so you aren't restricted or pressured into stopping earlier or later than you are comfortable with.

 

[robinb]

I don't like to dive more than a few hours at a time and a 2,000 mile drive would give me pause. My DH and I have driven 2,000 miles in two days by switching off, but I don't think I could do it alone. I would still go, but I would give myself THREE days to drive that 2,000 miles alone. As long as you have the extra time, why not take your time to make it down there?

 

[jojbell4]

Thank you all. Yes, I very much want to go on this trip. I wish it could be a family trip but if he does indeed decide he can not go the trip will still go on. It just really saddens me that he would say this...and the fact that while not really planned for his birthday like last year was our first day at Disney is his birthday and that he would choose to be apart from us. I am very stressed over other recent situations and that is probably making this worse than it normally would have been. Thanks for the boost of encouragement.

 

[jwmoss]

Go! Go! Go!

I am blessed by having a big, close knit family, but the thing that just blows my mind is that the women in my family don't drive more that 20 minutes away from their homes. My great-grandmother never learned to drive, and my grandma and my mom both would say things like, "you need a man to drive you to Houston" or "you can't drive that far by yourself. it's too dangerous for a girl!" Now granted, that was before cell phones, but I still could never wrap my head around such non-sense. As long as your car is dependable and your cell phone is charged and ready, there isn't a reason in the world for you to cancel your trip.

My mom is gone now and I hate that I never got to share any Disney with her at all. My kids are growing fast and I LOVE any time we get to do anything fun together, especially Disney. Don't miss out on the memories!!

Go! Go! Go!

 

[photo_chick]

OP... I'm sorry everyone has left you high and dry. But as others have said, you can do this. Totally. You're a mom to an 11 year old boy. Trust me, that's a tougher task than driving 2000 miles. Just take your time, use common sense along the way as far as safety goes, and you will be fine.

If I were in your shoes I would try to look at this as an opportunity to make some special memories with your son and mom. Focus on the positives.

 

[kaligal]

Ugh...I need to vent and have no where else to go with this. My mother needs to go to Florida to deal with some property. My sister, my son, and I were supposed to go with her. My sister's idea was to also go to Disney...then she backed out. My husband stepped in and said he would go. My mom will not fly so we must drive. The trip is a month away and I just made my final payment. Now my husband says he may not be able to be away from work for that long and does not think he can go. We have been having major issues so I can not say I am surprised....but I am flabbergasted that he is okay with my driving myself and my son 2000 miles by myself. What am I going to do now? We live in New York. My mom is 72. I don't know if I can handle the drive all by myself. My mom may not be around or healthy enough for a trip later at 72...and she is excited to see Disney with her grandson. My sister still can not go. My brother does not wish to go. What am I going to do?????

Join AAA. You'll get roadside assistance if you need it. You can also get (for no extra cost) a TrpTik and books that contain hotel and restaurant info for the states you'll be driving through.

A bazillion people have driven on road trips. You can, too.

 

[SailorsWife]

Go!! Plan plenty of time for breaks and meals. Your mom and son will need to get out and move around. Don't book a hotel until you are on the road and have an idea of where you will end up for the night. If your son or mom can call ahead to hold a room great, but not needed.

2000 miles. I have a 6 and 8 year old and can do about 500 miles in 8 hours in CA on I-5. That is with stops too. But that is pretty "I am on a mission" mode for me. It will take more time with more stops. Enjoy the drive. I do a lot of things without my husband because he doesn't want to come along or he is working. Don't let it get to you. Go have fun.

 

[Belle-To-Be]

Ugh...I need to vent and have no where else to go with this. My mother needs to go to Florida to deal with some property. My sister, my son, and I were supposed to go with her. My sister's idea was to also go to Disney...then she backed out. My husband stepped in and said he would go. My mom will not fly so we must drive. The trip is a month away and I just made my final payment. Now my husband says he may not be able to be away from work for that long and does not think he can go. We have been having major issues so I can not say I am surprised....but I am flabbergasted that he is okay with my driving myself and my son 2000 miles by myself. What am I going to do now? We live in New York. My mom is 72. I don't know if I can handle the drive all by myself. My mom may not be around or healthy enough for a trip later at 72...and she is excited to see Disney with her grandson. My sister still can not go. My brother does not wish to go. What am I going to do?????

I am amazed now, but 20 years ago, I used to drive 1200 miles by myself WITHOUT a cell phone (I think they were bigger and more expensive than the car I drove back then) to go pick up my sister from college. And I usually left in the middle of the night and there was no such thing as OnStar. Now I can't go anywhere without my cell phone.

Now though, like you, I am a mother and that changes everything. You CAN do this and actually make it an adventure (that's what I tell my child). Even though we have a navigation system, we look at maps (either mapquest or buy the big atlases from the book store) and plan our route. We don't commit to a hotel on the way as we take time to stop at whatever we find interesting . It turns out to be fun and also bonding time. We saved souvenirs and made fun scrapbooks later. My car is tuned up before we leave and I always have my cell phone and charger. And I leave contact numbers and the route with my sister or whomever stays behind. And of course I have roadside assistance. You can do this.

 

[Sparkie]

I am going to restate... YOU CAN do it. I once drove, just me, at age 18 from Detroit to Indianapolis to Atlanta. It was the end of a cheer season, it was me, a box of leftover t - shirts, a map, in a rental car....

 

[jlevis]

I'll just echo what others have said. Get your vehicle checked out, join AAA, take your time with lots of stops and go and have a great time. You want to be sure to stop evey couple of hours to get out and move around. Mom, especially, will need to do that to avoid blood clots in her legs. You can do this and you'll be glad you did.

 

[Nancyg56]

Years ago my niece was part of an All Star team and was in playoff games. My Mom loved watching her play but she would not fly so we drove. Not 2000 miles but a long distance for me. The drive was worth all of the memories we made. ( I am a terrible driver and made one heck of a wrong turn , family is still talking about it)

I would work in plenty of driving time and then I would go. I am so sorry that your DH is letting you down but honestly, this may be a blessing in disguise. You and your son have the opportunity to share an experience with your Mom and will not have to focus on anyone or anything else.