Have a child, preferably a girl as they tend when teenagers to actually like little children. Then have one or two more. Have a son, just to add some testosterone to the mix, then another girl and finally finish off with a boy. Let your older children, who have done a remarkable job of growing up over the years, practice 'babysitting' during the day while you go about those little chores which are best done unaccompanied. (Oh, did I mention that it helps if you spread the child acquisitioning span over a few years. If the first happens to be 16 when the 6th is born, so much the better!) Finally, actually trust them to watch your children (yes, I know that technically they are their siblings and they should love them dearly...but let's be real) for short periods of time after dark, when you are actually not at home. Better yet, allow them to first practice on other people's children.
Then, after many years of this preparation and training, tell them that you are taking all 6 of them to DisneyWorld for a fantastic vacation. Let them see the hours you spend on the net, weeks spent combing the tour books, months thinking about priority seating and annual passes versus park hoppers. Sigh frequently with dismay and moan "How will I ever get all of the planning done?"
By the time you get to Disney World, the oldest who will have just turned 18 and is riding high on the thrill of new found maturity is more than eager to provide the much needed respite for a hard working mother. Best of all, she will do it without expectation of finacial renumeration. And, her young charges will adore and respect her giving you and your spouse many happy free hours to enjoy the parks.
Or, you could just leave the kids at home........
I had planned a number of activities to keep them busy and one of the biggest hits was bubbles, even adults enjoyed them. Ahead of time we had agreed that I was pretty much there for the children but that they would give me some free time to enjoy on my own. I was to be paid my normal salary for working, and since we were on the Grand Plan I had all meals and drinks included for the vacation. The way it ended up working out was that in the morning the Parents would order room service for breakfast in their room, we had the room next door. Then about 630am/730am they came and got the kids for breakfast which left me with my free time in the mornings , which I loved (not a morning person). We would agree apon a time and place at about lunch to meet up and it would be my turn. Normally we would have a nice lunch then swim and nap at the pool. Then get ready and head into the parks for the afternoon/evening. We did a lot of dinner type shows and occassionally the parents would join us or take the kids. But except for the mornings it was pretty much just me and the children...which worked for us. I had understood this before we left so I had no issues. I got a chance to be in WDW for 2 weeks and they paid for it all, so I loved it. They also gave me some spending money! It worked out great!
I finally gave up on it because of parents that didnt want to parent but wanted to tell you how to do it every five seconds...lol. The example I gave above is one of those families that didnt really parent , I worked for them for 5 years, and the youngest was 5 days old when I started and 5 years old when I left....I got to see most of the firsts...and I feel bad that they missed it. I did enjoy the vacation, but I just wondered in general how people feel about adding a sitter/nanny into the mix for a "family" vacation and how they used them while there.
