taking only 1 child and leaving siblings at home?

[Deffenm]

I have been thinking about taking DD4 to WDW by myself if free dining is announced. We can't afford for all 5 of us this year but I could swing DD and I if we get free dining. Has anyone ever taken just one of their children and left others at home. I have 2 DS ages 7 & 8. I will be going in Sept. when they are in schools so I have that excuse but I don't want them to think I love DD more. When we went in Sept. last year she was not tall enough to ride a lot of the rides the boys did so I sat with her. I would love to take her and let her go on whatever she wanted, take her to BBB, and do the dinner at 1900 Park Fare with Cindrella. Do all of the girly things. I was thinking I can let each boy pick a full days worth of activites and I would spend the day doing those things since they won't be going. Has anyone every done this before? How did it work out?

 

[Zeebs]

Sorry can't help but I wouldn't do it to children that are old enough to know they are being left behind. For example I might leave toddler at home (actually I wouldn't) if I couldn't afford a trip with the whole family we wouldn't go at all. Save up and have a fantastic family trip when you can afford it.

If my mother took my sister and not my brother and me when we were younger I would certainly feel that she was loved more.

Kirsten

 

[DVCJEN]

Sorry can't help but I wouldn't do it to children that are old enough to know they are being left behind. For example I might leave toddler at home (actually I wouldn't) if I couldn't afford a trip with the whole family we wouldn't go at all. Save up and have a fantastic family trip when you can afford it.

If my mother took my sister and not my brother and me when we were younger I would certainly feel that she was loved more.

Kirsten

Exactly. I would wait til everyone could go. At 7 & 8 that would seem horribly, horribly unfair.

 

[thegrimdwarf]

Speaking as an older child who was left out of 2 trips when I was in school and my brother wasn't, I say do not do it. There is nothing you are going to be able to tell your older children that will make it "fair", because it's not.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I would never do it. I just think it is unfair completely and even a little mean. I would never forget if my parents had done something like that. Of course to each their own. That is just my opinon.

 

[Deffenm]

Thank you for the quick reply's. We will wait until next year when we can all go.

 

[sk!mom]

When we went in Sept. last year she was not tall enough to ride a lot of the rides the boys did so I sat with her. I would love to take her and let her go on whatever she wanted, take her to BBB, and do the dinner at 1900 Park Fare with Cindrella. Do all of the girly things. I was thinking I can let each boy pick a full days worth of activites and I would spend the day doing those things since they won't be going. Has anyone every done this before? How did it work out?

Wow- I have to say that the above sounds like justification because you want to go to WDW.

I could not leave behind children as young as yours for a trip to Disney. Unless I lived really close and we went often in different configurations. I know of families who have gone without teenagers because the teens were over Disney and younger siblings wanted to go. A young child would not understand being left.

I would save the money and wait until the whole family could go.

 

[Minniemouse07]

I'm taking dd to WDW in July for a long weekend to celebrate her 7th birthday. Dh is staying home w/ ds (2yo).

We were all at WDW for 8 nights/9 days in December (ds turned 2yo while we were there) and we are planning on all of us going on a 7 day Disney Cruise in 2010.

This is a mom and me trip that will be all about dd and what she wants to do. Dh and I have talked about it at length and we agreed that it would be great for her. We are planning long term for me (dh has been lobbying to go instead!) to take ds when he turns 7yo as well as taking each on a parent/child trip for their respective 14th and 21st birthdays as well.

If, long term, you are planning on taking each child one on one over time...then yes go for it. BUT... if you aren't, then I wouldn't.

Honestly, I would pull the 8yo out of school and go with him. At 8yo he is just under the 9yo Adult ticketing and they are old enough to do almost everything in the parks ...and then you set the precedent that next time the 7yo goes, then the 4yo...etc.

 

[livie1205]

we have been without all the kids BUT we also have a blended family and we vacation with and without everyone....they go places with their other familys and we sometimes go places when one or both is gone we have his,mine and ours and we are not going to tell our dd that we cant go somewhere because one or both of her brothers is on a trip or spending the summer with another parent.but our kids know this is our life and are ok with how we do things..but i dont think i would do this if everyone was here ALL the time unless they did not want to go.

 

[vicceja]

Personally, I couldn't and wouldn't do it. If I can't take all three boys I will wait until I could.

 

[mybabesuz]

Well, we have six in all...
3 Mine, 1 His and 2 ours...

I know a lot of people out there think it is horrible,
but we are just taking our two little ones.
It would cost us four times more to take everyone...
My older three don't seem to care.. They have been several times
and to Universal and Busch Gardens too.
We ALL went to Universal 3 years ago... the older one's didn't
want to go to Disney. There were 5 of them then...
We are hoping to take everyone again on our next trip.
We think of this as our time together...
If we had a place to leave the little ones...
They might not be going either....
We just need a little time away...


Suzanne

 

[Dallas_Lady]

Looking at the ages of your kids, I would never even consider it.

 

[gabriellyn]

Well it looks like OP *is* taking another trip at the end of the year - with the whole family?? If that is the case then I would say go for it! She can create special moments w/her DD. Maybe DH can take the DS's by himself next year? There are lots of options to consider. Maybe DH can have some special boy-time while mom and DD are gone? Surely there is something he can do with the boys (low cost) that DD can't do yet or would never be interested in. But, I would caution the OP to think long and hard about it - don't go if the guilt would be overwhelming.

 

[Mocharilla]

I personally would not. Those other kids would feel left out.

That being said, what my aunt and uncle did with their kids worked out, BUT they talked it through with the kids first. What they did was, as a 10th birthday present, they went on a special trip. The boys went with dad, their daughter went with mom. So, each one got their own special 10th birthday trip, just them and mom/dad. But, all the kids agreed to it first and knew what was going on.

But, I don't think you should, because that would probably really upset your DSs, unless they hate Disney and don't want to go.

 

[momof3girls6712]

i personally would not be able to enjoy myself knowing I left my other 2 children at home. My girls are 6, 7, and 12 and get upset if 1 of them gets a bigger slice of pizza than the other....I can not imagine the fight if we announced only 1 was going to Disney.

 

[RedAlfalfa]

I would- but I live 3 hours away so go pretty frequently.

My DD has gone a few times w/o her brother.
(Her grandparents took her when she was 3, her Aunts took her for her 4th B-day, and her Dad has taken her when TNA has there wrestling shows at Universal- no flames please...I know wrestling is not really appropriate for a 4yr old- but my hubby is nuts.).

When my DS gets a little older (and as my Mom says "more human") my parents plan to take him without his sister. I'm sure my DH will take him to the wrestling shows as well.
But again we live close by & go pretty often.

 

[LoveMyDisneyCats]

Don't think I could leave anyone at home- well, I've left DH before Me and the girls have gone without him.....but I couldn't leave one of them. That's just me though. The 10 year old "special" trip sounds really neat though!

 

[tripletots]

I could never just take one of my kids to Disney World and leave the rest behind. My neighbors use to take theirs one at a time, because grandparents took them individually with the mom. My kids thought that was awful leaving the other kids behind. Part of the fun for my kids is sharing the fun, excitement, rides, the whole Disney experience together. I think mine would be lonely in Disney without their siblings.

 

[Aliceacc]

Kids have a real hard time seeing the "Big Picture." They tend to think in the here and now, and I think they would have a real hard time understanding all the reasons why they weren't being included in a trip like this.

Heck, I have a problem taking one of the three to the grocery store; I can't imagine trying to explain why they weren't going to Disney World.

Sorry, there's no way that part of my family is going on a vacation without the rest of us.

 

[LisaNJ25]

yep, I am doing it in 2 1/2 weeks. I am brining my 8yo and the others are staying home. It was an unplanned trip to FL to see my grandparents and I have to make a trip to Disney. My 8yo is off for spring break so I am bringing her.

I brough my olders on a solo trip to Disneyland when he was 8.