Parents of three kids... can I have your opinion please?

[zakatak]

Here's the scenario... For the past two years, I have taken a short trip to Disney on my own as a "sabbatical". This past trip was fun (with a friend) but I really missed the kids. I don't think I want to go back without them... so here is my idea. Let me know if you think it is a good idea or not.

Each spring, take one kid down from Tuesday to Sunday as a Mommy & Me trip. My dh is tired of Disney, so I think after this November's trip, he will be OUT for a long time! Plus, it is expensive for a family of five (since he doesn't like POR and will never drive) to go.

The Pros: I get to do Disney each year ! One on one time with each kid. Cheaper all around than a family trip (best estimate is about $1500 per trip). I don't have to bug dh anymore about Disney. I would get an AP then book the next trip a week sooner (two trips plus AP rate).

The Cons: If I take only one kid (vs. boy, then both girls), then they only get to go once every three years! I don't know if they would like that! If I take the boy one year, then the girls, then it is every other year, but I give up the one on one time with the girls, clumping them together as an entity "girls" vs. individuals. They are 22 months apart.

So... do you think the kids would like this idea or would they really resent the years it wasn't them going with? Would the girls like to be together or their own time with Mom?

I would still hope to get down there as a family at least every 2.5 years or so.

Honest opinions please...

 

[cabmom]

Here is what I would do:
I have 3 boys! If I could afford to, I would take them on 3 seperate trips. If the girls like to be together than take them together. Do what you can afford, and don't worry about what they would think.
I took a trip by myself to London, England at Christmas to visit friends from college. I was so lonely without my kids and husband. I don't think I could do it for more than a 4 days on my own again.
All the best!
Marilynn

 

[Rajah]

Ideally, I'd take each kid on one trip a year, meaning 3 trips per year.

Now, since that's too costly... LOL!

I don't have any kids (yet) or siblings so can't really say, but as an outsider with no kids, I think it sounds like a great idea.

Can you afford 3 trips, 1 to Disney, 2 to something smaller and close by a year? So you could take kid 1 to Disney, kid 2 to the beach, kid 3 to the beach on year 1. Then year two, kid 1 and 3 go to the beach on one-on-one weekend trips, kid 2 goes to Disney. Then on year 3, kid 3 goes to Disney, 1 and 2 on separate trips to the beach. That way they all get "mommy and me" trips, doesn't cost as much, and the Disney portion alternates.

(The beach was a random location grabbed out of thin air, but illustrates what I mean)

 

[nancy679]

You didnt state the ages of your kids. Mine are 12,9,and 8--2 girls and a boy also. There is 3.5 years between all of them. If DH doesnt want to go then why dont you go with all 3 kids together. Price wise most packages are for families of 4 anyway, something that we can never take advantage of with 5.


I think my kids would be upset if I only took one at a time, the one that had to wait 2 more years to go would have a hard time understanding why they arent going first.

If you want one on one time with each kid, why dont you go on weekend trips in your area, that way you could do it in a short amount of time instead of years.

If you missed the kids while you were there alone, you most likely will miss the ones that are at home too.

IMO--I would bring all 3

 

[JESW]

I only have two kids (5 & 9) but they are Disney veterans (10 & 8 trips) and they would be very upset if their sibling got to go and they didn't.

Is it the financial end that is stopping you from taking all three - or the fact that you don't want to be alone with all three of them? How old are they? Would they even want to do that?

Jill

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Personally, I think the Mommy and me trips would be a better idea if it were someplace local, and something you could do with each of your children within a small time period.

WDW is a big trip, and even though you would intend to take each child on subsequent years, things come up. I think you're setting up your kids ... and you ... for heartache doing it that way.

Good luck with whatever decision you make.

 

[zakatak]

Right now, they are ds 7, and dds 5 and 3. Financially, the cost would go up (2 more airfares, 2 more tickets, more food) but my main issue is that I have two hands and three kids who have different tastes in rides. My son LOVES RnRC but there is no way I could do that with him if I had the girls (other than a kid's club which would cost $20/hour... figure 3 hours = $60 just to ride RnRC once with my son). There are also rides that I wouldn't feel comfortable having my son ride alone (BTMR, Splash) and my dd couldn't ride with him alone right now. And there is the bathroom issue (we won't go into that here).

I can just see the sad looks... when he can't ride RnRC and has to go on IASM for the 5th time (my littlest's fav). Plus, by separating them, I can concentrate on their likes, princesses for the girls and rollercoasters for the boy!

Eventually, when I can trust whoever doesn't want to ride RnRC to sit at the exit (maybe 12?) safely, they can all come... but for now, it would eliminate A LOT of things having all three of them by myself. Oh, and my hair would get a lot more grey!

As for the three trips per year, it is hard for my dh to take the time from work to watch the other ones as we have no family available for longer than a few hours with one kid. With the Tues-Sun trip, I can arrange after school care for the weekdays so he wouldn't have to lose too much work time.

Did I clear everything up... clear as mud?

 

[KimR]

How about inviting a friend/relative along? That way, you'd have someone to help with the kids, switch off taking the kids on various rides, etc. You could stay in a deluxe for less money because you'd have someone to share expenses with.

Or maybe you could find a friend with kids of similar ages as your own (single mom, maybe?) who would like to go as well. I don't know where you live, but if you are not too far away you could save quite a bit by driving, too. Driving would be easier and more economical if there was another adult to share diving and gas money.

Kim

 

[cabmom]

Our kids are the same age!
I don't think I would do it at this age, I would wait until they are older. If you need a trip, do it with a friend!

 

[gymnasticsmom68]

I have 3 kids, and I wouldn't do it.

 

[Tinkerbelle739]

Kim I am with you. Find someone else to go with you and take all 3 kids on 1 trip. Are you sure DH would not want to enjoy the magic with his family? Ask him what you could do to make his trip more enjoyable. Maybe it would mean flying and staying at a nicer hotel or all 3 kids in the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while the two of you dine at a nice restaurant. It may mean you need to save for longer to take that trip but you would all be together, right? Let us know what you decide.

Wishing everyone a "magical" day!

 

[TarraLee]

We don't have children. But last summer we took our neice and nephew (both 5) to WDW. DH had work stuff come up at the last minute, and could only be there 3 days (we went for 8 days)!!!!

so we took my kid brother along to help me out. I was scared to death of being responsible for 3 kids at WDW by myself. All in all, it was not too bad! It was a great trip. I got to be a kid too, and I loved it. We stayed at the Poly, and the monorail made everything much easier with the little ones. We checked the littles into the Neverland Club one night and DBro and I had a blast at RNR and Disney Quest.

The worst was the neice spilling chocolate milk ALL OVER herself, me, and the nephew at Brown Derby. Needless to say she was wearing white and Fantasmic started an hour later. The best was how much the LOVED test track, and their spontaneuos cries of joy over everything-- characters, fireworks, parades, ablloons, everything.

It can defenitely be done. I would take the son, and then the girls. The girls are close enough in age that they will like similar things. They can go on individual trips when they are older and will remember and enjoy more.

Good luck to you!

 

[bekkiz]

You could make it an age based trip. That way you're not stuck each year, kids don't feel left out, and they have something to look forward to. You could say, you get a "mommy&me" trip for your eighth birhday. In the off years, plan a trip with your best friend!

 

[RitaZ.]

Originally posted by Mary Jo
Personally, I think the Mommy and me trips would be a better idea if it were someplace local, and something you could do with each of your children within a small time period.

WDW is a big trip, and even though you would intend to take each child on subsequent years, things come up. I think you're setting up your kids ... and you ... for heartache doing it that way.

Good luck with whatever decision you make.

I agree with Mary Jo.

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

My DH is one of 3 kids. Both of his parents were educators, and his paternal grandparents lived in India. Each summer, one or the other parent would take one or two of the children on a six week trip--not only to India to visit their grandparents but to several other countries as well. DH and each of his siblings have many fond memories of these trips abroad. The parent who stayed behind in the states would take the other children on trips within the US while the others were out of the country. My husband has talked about how special these trips were that he had one on one with his parents.

I think that you should enjoy a one on one trip with one of your kids each year. It will be something to be greatly anticipated. You should probably start with your son, then your middle child, then the yougest. They should be fine with that. I do not think we should be obsessed with trying to treat our children equally at all times. Life is not like that and if they complain that it is "not fair", then what better place to learn that life is not fair than in the family? I am sure the memories that you will build on these trips will last a lifetime and the one on one time will be a huge benefit to your relationship with each child.

 

[MinnieYC]

Do you have a family member or friend with kids that can go with you? Maybe if you know someone with kids in a similar age group, you can go to the parks together and take turns going on rides with the older ones, and then the younger ones. Then you can split up for just Mommy-and-kids time.

 

[Kallison]

I asked my kids and they looked at me like I was nuts. My kids would be too resentful. Spending one on one time is nice, but taking one to Disney and expecting a sibling to wait two years for their turn would never fly at our house.

 

[zakatak]

I appreciate all the opinions on this... it's not like I can start it, then stop it. I think I will sit down with the older two tomorrow and ask them what they think about the idea. Now, time is incredibly different to them as well as their idea of money, so it should be interesting what they say!

I would love to take them all, with someone, but I don't know any single person, nor do I know anyone who would go every year. If I didn't go at all alone, and saved up the money instead, we could probably get my dh to go as a family every two years, most likely either in March or October.

I'll let you know what they say tomorrow, lol.

Thanks again. I am considering all angles of this.

Karen

 

[tigercat]

I have 3 children and I did just that except not to Disney. I took each child on a Mummy & kid trip to have some alone time with me. Children are fine when they know the rules. Sure they might be a little disappointed when it isn't their time but they learn. If you tell them how old they will be when they get to go instead of the year xxxx they can deal with that better. My youngest dgrdd has been told that she will be taken to Disney with me when she is 7. Her oldest sister got to go at that age. She is really looking forward to going but she always prefaces it with...when I am 7... My kids remember with fondness the trips I took with them, although when the girls were in their early teens they ended up going with me together. Now it seems it is my oldest dd & I going away but that is because of other things and they are all over the age of 23.
tigercat

 

[mom2boys]

I only have two kids - boys 17 months apart. I haven't been on a solo trip with either of them. However, 3 yrs ago when the younger one wasn't into video games, DH and oldest DS went to DQ. Younger son (then 5) did what he wanted. It was wonderful having that alone time with my youngest. However I couldn't take an entire trip without either of them. I would take them without DH - but I don't think he'd be left at home.
We just returned from our most recent trip about 3 weeks ago. Younger DS keeps talking about wanting to go back, wishes he was still there... My oldest (10) actually made a video for DH tonight. He wore his Mickey ears, commented on how great WDW is and ended with take me back real soon. I could never tell one of them he had to stay home-but that's just me.