Take mom along?

[la79al]

My sister (21), DD (19 months) and I are heading to DW for 5 days in December. My mom (who dislikes DW) has suggested that she come along to watch DD. My sister initially didn't care either way but now is saying we could bring her along and make it a girls trip. I'm not 100% on board. It has nothing to do with moms ability to watch DD. I just feel like if we bring mom along and leave DD with her, DD will miss out on the parks. If we bring her along and take DD to the parks, mom will be stuck at the resort by herself. Then DSis might stay with her and DD and I will be alone for the parks, which is not the point of this trip. If we bring mom along and talk her into going into the parks, she would take DD and that doesn't feel right to me either. Maybe this is just because I have not been separated from DD yet. On the other hand, the last time DSis and I went, I was pregnant with DD and DSis did not know so it would be nice to do some of the big rides together without having to bother with baby swap. DD has, up to now, been a really great baby and we would have no problems with her in the parks, other than her not being tall enough for some rides.

 

[EthansMom]

If your Mom wants to come and help out, it could work really well. I could see where you might all go to the park during the day and then Grandma could watch the baby while you and Sis go out in the evening.

But... and this is a big but... it could be a real pain if your Mom doesn't want to do the same things as you or if she isn't on the same schedule, etc...

As a for instance, we took one trip where we were with people who had completely different interests and we wasted so much time just deciding what to do next. In that same group were one or two women who couldn't leave the hotel room in the morning without spending an hour on their hair... and they didn't get up an hour earlier than everyone else, either!

My advice... if you do decide to have Mom go with you, make sure everyone is clear as to the plan. Also, you stated should you "take Mom along with you"... I'm not sure whether you're planning on paying for Mom, but unless you're planning on Mom doing some SERIOUS childcare (or you feel you should treat her for some other reason), then Mom should be paying for all or most of her trip.

At least with my MIL, when I've told her that we'd be happy to have her come with us but that she needs to get her own room and pay for all of her own expenses, she usually decides that she would rather not come.

 

[CLEO Z]

My advice... if you do decide to have Mom go with you, make sure everyone is clear as to the plan. Also, you stated should you "take Mom along with you"... I'm not sure whether you're planning on paying for Mom, but unless you're planning on Mom doing some SERIOUS childcare (or you feel you should treat her for some other reason), then Mom should be paying for all or most of her trip.

Ditto! You know your mom best. If you trust that she truly wants to babysit and is comfortable tagging along or hanging at the pool while you are at the park, then I say go for it. If she is a manipulator or a wet blanket, decline politely.

 

[chrismass]

I think you should take your mom along, and spend the mornings at the parks together and then when it's time for dd to take a nap or cool off in pool - your mom can stay behind and you and your sis can continue on to the larger rides. Sounds like a win-win to me...

Plus - not to be debbie downer, but, we took my mil for our first trip to the world to help out with the kids, we all had a great time and 6 months later we found out she had stage 4 lung cancer - she never made it back again. You should enjoy the time you have with your mom while you can!!

 

[JerseyMamaBear]

wow tough call, I agree with pp about you knowing her best and speaking with her ahead of time about your expectations