single parent families

[PrincessKell]

Single mom here too. DD is going to be 8 in Feb. We have a trip planned for Christmas but not sure if its gonna happen. But she gets to go for her bday (she doesn't know it.) My mom lives in Southern Cal, so she will just be told she is going to see grandma, and we don't have time for Disneyland....and then TADA! haha I Know I know Im so mean. We went as a family of three when ex-dh and I were together, and frankly I think that going alone with her is much more fun! I love DL much more than he does.

It would be nice to meet up with other single parents though.

 

[thegreggersmom]

Count me in! Adopted my son a year ago in December and we'll be at POP to celebrate this year. Ditto what others have said about feeling safe and it will be lovely not to have to drive for a week. I only wish there was some sort of short-term babysitting available at the BIG rides so I could get my fix...but there will be time for that later. Can't wait to see his reaction to everything.

I was actually feeling a little bummed tonight b/c my little guy is home yet again with like his 4th virus in two months (no H1N1...so far) and my boss was less than pleasant about me needing to take off. I have the time coming -- it's just not a very family friendly place.

So, OP, thanks for starting the thread and reminding me there are a bunch of us out there!

 

[stitchaholic]

I'm a new mom to 7 month old ds. Our first trip together is this december but my parents love disney also so they are coming. I dont think I'm ready for a trip alone.

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mickey mommy,your right ,disney would be tough to tackle alone with a baby,that's great that your parents are coming,you will get a break !

BUT we don't limit ourselves to just Disney. I take her to any business trip that I can and we have at least 1 other vacation each year. This year was extra special as we did Atlanta, Orlando, New York, Philly, LA and Orlando again.

that's great ,you guys do alot of traveling, we have gone to cuba (we are canadian) a few times and vermont, but disney is a real sickness, once i start scoping the boards.and then looking for pricing,it's all over,i have to book.

I think I own just about every touring book they have out. My co-worker has informed me that they are planning an intervention and I am no longer allowed to go to Barnes and Noble unattended

don't worry, you are amongst friends here at DIS, we understand. have you read mousejunkies? it was written by a fellow disser, and has a humorous twist, you can find it where you would find the tourguides.

We went as a family of three when ex-dh and I were together, and frankly I think that going alone with her is much more fun! I love DL much more than he does.

It would be nice to meet up with other single parents though

i can agree with that statement,i do not think that i would have enjoyed the trip as much with my ex , but that and many other reasons is why he is my ex
it would be great if we could have a dis single parent meet.

I only wish there was some sort of short-term babysitting available at the BIG rides so I could get my fix...but there will be time for that later. Can't wait to see his reaction to everything

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Babysitting and Child Services

•Disney's Pop Century Resort offers several childcare services to keep your children having fun—even when you can't be there

maybe you could take some time to yourself and enjoy those rides if you arrange for baby sitting during nap time,or at night.
you will be there before me, or i would definitly watch your little one for you while you were on a ride.
hope he feels better soon!

 

[Weezyreid]

I too am a single parent...I adopted DS (3) in 2007 from Ethiopia.
I also get the same "are you crazy", "you are going again", "what are you, rich..I don't know where you get the money", "why"
I also love the ease of a disney vacation...no worry about transportation, safety, etc. It is a no stress vacation for us (minus the flights down).
This will be my 3 yr old's 3rd trip to disney.
Louise

 

[Weezyreid]

oops make that his 4th trip LOL LOL

 

[2forMe]

and I love going to Disney with my kids!!! Last time was Sept. 2007, but I was still with ex-dh at the time. I am a little nervous going back on my own, with a 5 and 7 yr old... but am aiming for next fall! My dd is begging to back to MNSSHP... and I am too I measured little ds recently and he is over 40 inches tall.. so that will help a lot with the ride situation.. plus I am sure he will grow more by next fall!!

 

[PrincessV]

people think i am just generally crazy for booking disney year after year, but as a single parent, i feel safe there,inside the gates.

And for me, WDW is a familiar place; I'd been going regularly for 10-ish years before I had my DS7, so it's simpler in some ways than going to a new place.

I'm a new mom to 7 month old ds. Our first trip together is this december but my parents love disney also so they are coming. I dont think I'm ready for a trip alone.

It definitely gets easier as they get older.

Wait.

Never mind; it just gets different, lol! No, I felt more comfortable having Gramma with us when my DS was a baby, too. With bottles, diapering, etc. it was good to have another pair of hands, y'know? Not to mention someone who could carry on a conversation. You'll have a wonderful time!

We went as a family of three when ex-dh and I were together, and frankly I think that going alone with her is much more fun!

I hear ya - my ex-DH and I were WDW junkies before our DS came along, so I wasn't at all sure I'd want to take on The World with just my DS once the ex was gone... but I'm glad I did!

I was actually feeling a little bummed tonight b/c my little guy is home yet again with like his 4th virus in two months (no H1N1...so far) and my boss was less than pleasant about me needing to take off. I have the time coming -- it's just not a very family friendly place.

I'm sorry - hang in there!

So, OP, thanks for starting the thread and reminding me there are a bunch of us out there!

Ditto!

I also get the same "are you crazy", "you are going again", "what are you, rich..I don't know where you get the money", "why"

Ooo, that's one of my favorites! Um, WDW is by far the cheapest vacation we can take, short of staying home. As FL residents, we get heavily discounted annual passes; as DVC members, our resort stays are "free"; it costs roughly $10 in gas to get us there and back; and with only two of us, food costs are very low.

 

[clutter]

Just a question for you all: Do you also get a response like "Are you crazy going alone?" every time you book another trip?

No. I tell people "where else would we go?" We don't have family to travel with, and it seems that our friends are either kid friends or mom friends, but rarely both. So with just the two of us, I'd be nuts at the beach for a week! Besides, for just two, it's so much less expensive than many other places.

I first took my dd, now 12, to Disney when she was 3. We've been maybe 20 times since. When she was little, I'd buy an AP every other year and we'd do a couple short trips. Then I bought into DVC. Now I buy APs every other year, usually, and we do two 10 -12 day trips at the beginning and end of the year. Of course, at 12, we're reaching the age where she wants a friend to come, too.

OMG, here's a funny story. One year, we did our 2 10 day trips. Then we decided to go for dd's birthday (which is always spring break, so it was a one time only). Then a friend wanted to go with her dd, so we went with them on a school break in January. We used our passes for 30 days that year. We spent a month in DisneyWorld!!!

 

[stitchaholic]

OMG, here's a funny story. One year, we did our 2 10 day trips. Then we decided to go for dd's birthday (which is always spring break, so it was a one time only). Then a friend wanted to go with her dd, so we went with them on a school break in January. We used our passes for 30 days that year. We spent a month in DisneyWorld!!!

lucky you! I am so tempted to buy into DVC, but we have airfare to consider.

 

[missy28]

Missy28, I was looking at your profile pic. Is your DD from China, too? I adopted my DD from China back in Dec 2002 when she was 11 months old.
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Helen

Helen, my daughter is from Saipan, which is an island in the Pacific near Guam. Her ethnicity is Chamorro, which is one of the many Pacific Islander ones. We often get China, or Guatemala though! I too adopted her when she was 11 months old. It happened very suddenly- I had been looking, and thought her adoption had fallen through, but woke up one morning not a mom and came home that night with a baby!!

 

[missy28]

I'm a new mom to 7 month old ds. Our first trip together is this december but my parents love disney also so they are coming. I dont think I'm ready for a trip alone.

It's great your parents can go!! And don't feel nervous about going with just you and your little one... I always find there's plenty of people to talk to, and also it's GREAT bonding time for you two!


I also feel like there should be a place for us single parents to connect... I feel a meet-up going on! I'm taking DD2 on her 6th Disney trip the weekend before Thanksgiving... any of you headed that way then?

I agree that it sometimes is hard to not be able to ride all the "big kid" rides when it's just you and your little one(s), but I always think about it as making memories, and I've already ridden those rides so many times, and I would really rather watch her face anyway!

 

[shawna1041]

I am a single mom to 3. We are planning a trip to Disney World in August 2010. Then my kids will be 13, 7, and 4. I am a little nervous, but I think we will be okay!

 

[2Tiggies]

I am a single mom to 3. We are planning a trip to Disney World in August 2010. Then my kids will be 13, 7, and 4. I am a little nervous, but I think we will be okay!

You will be fine. Think about it, you take them to school, feed them, clothe them, take them on outings .....! Except now you get to do stuff together that you all enjoy and you are in a safe place. I found it strengthens the bond between DD and I. You'll do great!

 

[parith1114]

Hey fellow single parents, I too am a single mom. I have been divoriced for over 5 and a half years. I like to do Disney with friends and extended family. I have yet to take the kids truly "alone." We LOVE Disney, can't wait to go back (43 more days). This time we are going with my parents and another family, it's a grand gathering, I'm so excited.

 

[shawna1041]

Thanks! I know I do everything alone already. I am sure we will do just fine, just hopefully no one gets overwhelmed. I think we are going to go for 10 days so we will have plenty of time to go slow and just soak everything in.

 

[Dani C]

Thanks! I think we are going to go for 10 days so we will have plenty of time to go slow and just soak everything in.

Hopefully that will give you time to adjust to the difference in temperature.

 

[dreamer423]

another smc here. I've lost count of how many times we've gone. Lucky since we live close we do several long weekends a year.

Been with friends, with family, with grandparents, and alone. My top favorites are with my parents-b/c I love to see them appreciate each other and my parents are big lovers of the world. And when it's just the 2 of us. we know what we like and we do it our way w/o having to cater to anyone else.

and yes, its a great and easy place to go.


We've got a trip coming up soon for DS' birthday. Can't wait.

 

[RitaFaye94]

Hello! I'm a single mom to an almost 9 year old daughter. I love being a single parent and had the joy of taking my kiddo to Disney last month. However, while I love my kiddo an insane amount, I did feel a bit lacking in the adult conversation department. I said that there needs to be a single parents meeting spot at Disney. I know I'd sign up to have somebody to hang out with, if even for a few hours.

AMEN to the single parents stop!

I'm a single mom to DD16 and DS3. We usually take one of DD's friends along so she has someone to ride with, as DS doesn't do quite everything yet. She's been my only assistance @ WDW with him. This year I got very little quiet time to myself (except the last night we were there I gave the girls some $$ for the arcade when DS went to sleep so I could pack - does that count?)

I want SO badly to take an adult weekend trip to WDW but would feel guilty not taking the kiddos. Thinking in a couple years for DD's 18th birthday (or graduation gift) that we do a girls weekend there (as after that it will probably be myself & DS for a while).

Glad to 'talk' with other single Disney addicts!

 

[shawna1041]

Hopefully that will give you time to adjust to the difference in temperature.

I am sure it will take a little while to adjust. I should be going in the middle of winter, and would if the kids didn't have school. Luckily it doesn't generally get too cold where I live in Michigan. I live about 10 miles north of the Indiana border.

 

[RitaFaye94]

Shawna - we're not too far apart then. I'm about an hour south of Indy. Do you drive or fly down?