Told the girls we were taking them for Christmas. They don't want to go.

[bumbershoot]

You know, if I were you and your wife, I would ask Grandma to come over and spend a week with them. You two go off on the trip (this Disney trip) and they get to stay with their puppies. My husband and I love going just the two of us (we don't have children) and we love getting to ride the rides we like, eat at the places we like, etc. You might even find that breakfast with Cinderella is pretty romantic (we have even seen couples get engaged there). Be sure to send Grandma some pictures while you're there to show the girls how much fun you're having.

Huge assumption that there are healthy, sane, or even living grandparents. Also that said grandparent would/could watch them.

Op, help dw relax. If the kids are little, if they haven't been to Disney, etc, they truly have no understanding of what it all means. Over the next few days weeks months, figure out what the problem is. There is probably more than just wanting to play with the pups. And make sure they know how the puppies will be cared for while you are gone!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I've spent all this time planning and money and they cried and said they don't want to go. They want to stay with their puppies they got this summer. I wouldn't have told them yet but my wife was so excited she couldn't wait. I didn't even get to tell them about breakfast with Cinderella on Christmas morning or the dessert party with Tinkerbell flying right overhead. Now I have two little girls crying about the trip and my wife crying and yelling at the kids for being ungrateful.

Merry Christmas to me.

Mom needs to cool her jets.

If you are driving, could you bring the pups along and board them at the kennel?

If not--I would't worry about the girls not enjoying the trip.
My kids claim to like surprises--but the it always messes with their plans.

But a sure way to ruin the trip is upsetting the girls and calling them ungrateful as dwelling on the fact that their reaction failed to meet expectations. They may have been extremely grateful for the puppies and possibly envisioning Christmas, who knows. Their heart is in the right place.

 

[JimmyV]

You know, if I were you and your wife, I would ask Grandma to come over and spend a week with them. You two go off on the trip (this Disney trip) and they get to stay with their puppies. My husband and I love going just the two of us (we don't have children)…

With all due respect, are you really in the best positions to advise two parents to leave their kids on Christmas?

 

[Luvchefmic]

With all due respect, are you really in the best positions to advise two parents to leave their kids on Christmas?

Or as another poster mentioned it's making big assumptions re-Grandparents too.

 

[WuvEeyore]

So sorry you didn't get the reaction you were hoping for. If they don't change their minds, can you postpone the trip? I hope it all works out for you. Good luck!

 

[lam0037]

Agree with others about not canceling until you know for sure. When I was younger (around 10 or 11) we were going to WDW two-three times a year. I would get excited when the trip was booked and when we left, but the excitement would wane for me in the meantime, just because of school, extracurriculars, etc. Just because they reacted this way now, doesn't mean they will feel the same way when the time comes to go.

Have they received a big surprise like this before? They may just not be a big fan of surprises, I'm not myself as I like to plan things in my mind beforehand.

And I understand about the puppies, and I am 21! Our fur baby is almost a year old, and we adopted him from a shelter in February. BF and I are going to Disney December 14-22 this year, and Elvis is staying with his grandmother (my mom). I don't know if I would still want to go if I couldn't spend Christmas Day with him, as we already are planning on his gifts (Bark Box, toys I like, etc) and making him a stocking and spending Christmas with him. So, if your kids had already had something like that in their mind, and are attached to the puppies, they may feel you are leaving part of your family behind on Christmas, and that could be part of why they are upset.

I mean I get sad if I don't see Elvis everyday and I've had to clean up plenty of accidents, give plenty of baths, pay for his food myself, etc.

 

[wilkeliza]

I'll give some insight into your daughters' reactions. I remember getting a puppy one year for my birthday. That was in March. In August of every year we had to spend a week with my grandparents. Grandparents said puppy wasn't allowed. I cried and cried and cried some more. I was so upset. It was such a big deal to me because when I got the puppy my mom made it very clear that the puppy was my responsibility. I had it so ingrained in me that he was my responsibility that I felt like I was letting my mom down by not being able to take care of him for a week and I was so scared my mom would forget to feed him or walk him. I knew she could take care of him but he was my responsibility.

Your daughters could be feeling the same way. Were they told these puppies are their responsibility? If so they could be worried about the logistics of who will take care of them, how much they will be walked, etc.

 

[MichaelaF]

Oh, wow....lots of "experts" in this thread!

I'm so sorry to hear - that must have been hard on both you and your wife. I'd definitely be frustrated and sad as well. But as others have said, I think they'll probably come around, especially as the time gets closer and the puppy love wears off a bit. Being a kid is hard - I'm sure its tough for them to imagine Christmas without their new puppies. And "experiences" are harder for them to understand and look forward to at certain ages, especially if they feel they are having to lose something in order to gain something else. FWIW, it's a great thing for you to have done all that work for them and I'm sure you'll be thanked in some way at some point for it!

 

[notrub98]

Wow! I am disappointed in some people's responses to your original post. As an uber-planner, I'd be heartbroken if the trip I've been planning for over a year for my little humans didn't go as I hope it will and I am SURE I would cry, just as your wife has!

How old are the kiddos? I agree with the others who said perhaps they just don't "get it"? I love puppies too so perhaps they are scared that they will miss them too much?

I would just leave it for a while - the newness of the pups will wear off, and the excitement of the trip will escalate if you just kind of "drop it" for a little while.

Kids are funny creatures - and I'm sorry that happened. You must be disappointed, but hopefully the tiny humans will come around as it gets closer!

 

[North of Mouse]

Crying and yelling at the kids because they want their puppies more than WDW? I don't think the kids' reaction is unreasonable at all. They're kids. The parental reaction sounds a lot more childish to me.

I agree!

I dunno- but to have Mom crying and screaming at them doesn't seem the appropriate response to me either.

How young are these girls?

I agree!

Wow! I am disappointed in some people's responses to your original post. As an uber-planner, I'd be heartbroken if the trip I've been planning for over a year for my little humans didn't go as I hope it will and I am SURE I would cry, just as your wife has!

Heartbroken, sad, disappointed, frustrated, maybe, but 'yelling at the kids and calling them ungrateful' ??? NO, how childish! Adults (parents) need to 'act' like adults and 'swallow' their feelings to a degree and not act like children.

'Surprises' this far in advance can 'bite' you. OP never did come back on and say how old these children are. I feel sorry for their kids.

 

[JimmyV]

Wow! I am disappointed in some people's responses to your original post.

This statement doesn't mean much if you don't indicate which posts disappointed you. Are you disappointed by the posts that say "don't cancel because your kids will come around eventually"? Or are you disappointed by the ones that say that the kids' reaction is natural and understandable, and perhaps the trip should be postponed until after the kids (and puppies) are a little older? While these two views are certainly in conflict with one another and one can side with only one of them, I certainly don't see either side as being irrational or "disappointing". There is no "right" answer to this situation.

 

[notrub98]

This statement doesn't mean much if you don't indicate which posts disappointed you. Are you disappointed by the posts that say "don't cancel because your kids will come around eventually"? Or are you disappointed by the ones that say that the kids' reaction is natural and understandable, and perhaps the trip should be postponed until after the kids (and puppies) are a little older? While these two views are certainly in conflict with one another and one can side with only one of them, I certainly don't see either side as being irrational or "disappointing". There is no "right" answer to this situation.

I'm disappointed in the posts from people who are basically being mean to him (for lack of a better word) for he / his wife's parenting style. Who is anyone to tell anyone else how to parent? Especially a post from someone who doesn't even have children? Would I scream and yell at my kids in this situation? No. But do I think it is right for others to be pretty harsh to this guy for expressing his disappointment and venting it here? Absolutely not. Parenting is hard - all of us who have kids know this. It is a lot harder than any of us probably realized before we had kids. Maybe the yelling was a weak moment for Mom and she's normally very patient, loving, and kind. Maybe she isn't. Maybe she's awful. But who are any of us to judge when we were not there? So the part I was disappointed in has nothing to do with any suggested solutions to his predicament - all solutions are using sound judgement in a tough situation. I am disappointed in people making this guy (or his wife) feel like bad parents. That isn't right, in my opinion, and people should not judge others. Just my 2cents.

I must add - MOST responses were aiming to be compassionate, helpful, insightful. It is just the mean ones that I took issue with. It just isn't necessary, in my honest opinion.

 

[KenDoll]

I would have been heartbroken if I planned a trip and the people I was surprising were not interested, I absolutely would have cried! As for people telling you how to parent, don't listen you can parent how you see fit!!!

Okay rant over, now to the original questions you mentioned.

Are they young enough where they still believe in Santa? Might sound dumb but my aunt surprised my cousins two years ago for Christmas week trip, my one cousin she was 6 and when she learned the day they left she bailed and shrieked the whole way to the airport thinking Santa won't know where she is and she that she put her address on his card not the hotel and all these different things ( to her the world was crumbling) we found out later in the trip she had asked for things she knew her brother and sister really wanted so she was devastated by the thought for Santa not to know where she was. After getting to the source of the problem she had the best vacation ever and Santa was smart enough to find where she was staying !

The kids could have something like that, or maybe they believe leaving the puppies means never seeing them again or giving them up, or worrying they won't be cared for. Those are all typical kid responses. I would slowly get the the actual fears they are having about it and slowly subtly address each one. Ex. Have the person who is caring for the puppies come over and hangout with the kids and puppies, bring them on a your of a kennel, or show them how they will be cared for. All while dropping subtle hints about Disney and WDW, little cool facts maybe about Cinderella's special horse on the carousal, that's animal related!!

I really think they will love it, don't cancel unless it gets very close and you really have to, they will probably come around!!

 

[leebee]

I'm disappointed in the posts from people who are basically being mean to him (for lack of a better word) for he / his wife's parenting style. Who is anyone to tell anyone else how to parent? Especially a post from someone who doesn't even have children? Would I scream and yell at my kids in this situation? No. But do I think it is right for others to be pretty harsh to this guy for expressing his disappointment and venting it here? Absolutely not. Parenting is hard - all of us who have kids know this. It is a lot harder than any of us probably realized before we had kids. Maybe the yelling was a weak moment for Mom and she's normally very patient, loving, and kind. Maybe she isn't. Maybe she's awful. But who are any of us to judge when we were not there? So the part I was disappointed in has nothing to do with any suggested solutions to his predicament - all solutions are using sound judgement in a tough situation. I am disappointed in people making this guy (or his wife) feel like bad parents. That isn't right, in my opinion, and people should not judge others. Just my 2cents.

I must add - MOST responses were aiming to be compassionate, helpful, insightful. It is just the mean ones that I took issue with. It just isn't necessary, in my honest opinion.

If you think this is a harsh, mean thread, read around the boards; this is NOTHING compared to some threads. People here have been honest- maybe not as tactfully as they could have been- but it's a public forum and the OP put it out here; of COURSE he's going to get opinions!

Are they young enough where they still believe in Santa? Might sound dumb but my aunt surprised my cousins two years ago for Christmas week trip, my one cousin she was 6 and when she learned the day they left she bailed and shrieked the whole way to the airport thinking Santa won't know where she is … ( to her the world was crumbling) ... she was devastated by the thought for Santa not to know where she was. After getting to the source of the problem she had the best vacation ever and Santa was smart enough to find where she was staying !

The kids could have something like that, or maybe they believe leaving the puppies means never seeing them again or giving them up, or worrying they won't be cared for. Those are all typical kid responses. I would slowly get the the actual fears they are having about it and slowly subtly address each one. Ex. Have the person who is caring for the puppies come over and hangout with the kids and puppies, bring them on a your of a kennel, or show them how they will be cared for. All while dropping subtle hints about Disney and WDW, little cool facts maybe about Cinderella's special horse on the carousal, that's animal related!!

I was wondering about the Santa thing, too. How will Santa know where they are? Also maybe they are worried about the puppies being lonely at Christmas? Maybe they worry that you'd leave family alone for Christmas, behind from a family trip? I would let it ride for awhile… once the "newness" of the puppies wears off, maybe it'll be easier for the kids to consider leaving them for awhile. They could also help plan the "puppy vacation;" play up how cool it'd be for the pups to have a doggie vacation while you are having a people vacation!

Maybe shifting your days a bit, having Christmas day at home, then leaving that evening or the next morning, would be a better arrangement for the kids. I have always thought about being at Disney for Christmas, but the thought has always been shot down by my DD; she wants to be home for Christmas. I have a friend whose SIL gave the kids their Disney vacation for a Christmas present. The SIL set it up as a scavenger hunt- Mom and Dad were in on it. The parents made sure the SIL's present- the first clue on the hunt- was the last gift the family opened on Christmas morning. Then they set out around town to follow the clues. The hunt ended at SIL's house with a big "You're going to Disney World" sign! They left for Florida the next morning. Maybe something like that would work better for your family.

Good luck.. but I bet the kids will come around to the idea of a trip to Disney World!!