Ugh! Why do people say such things?!!?

[amyhughes]

To the OP:

I would continue to tell folks. Who cares? If they have issues with taking their kids places I would feel for their children. Not necessarily Disney World but at least OUT!

I know I was scared when I was a new parent but we had to take a trip when DS1 was only 2 weeks old and premmature. It was for a Mother's Day, and his Grandmother was quite ill and it was her first Grandbaby. So of course we went b/c we knew this would be our last time to see her. Naturally I got over this whole travelling while they are young thing and we try to go out and about, even for long drives on the weekends when we can!

However you can't just sit inside and let your kids learn about life through the Travel Channel! I love travelling with my kids and showing them their world that they will inherit some day! IN fact if DH had it his way we would get and RV and travel all the time and homeschool!

 

[SeptemberGirl]

I've found that many people vacation the same place every year. Martha's Vineyard, LBI (NJ), The Dells, whatever. They choose where to spend their vacations and we choose where to spend ours. Our kid is 3 and while there is a big world out there, it's useless to me to take a 3 yr old to the Grand Canyon right now, or Europe even though we have family there - sure, we will go so they can see her, but not for the big sight-seeing trips. We do take her into NYC b/c we are really close and spend a lot of time doing things there - I worked there and my DH still does. But honestly, I'm not going to pay for a beach vacation when she can play in the sand on the beach 10 minutes from home, or travel on a plane to go to great zoos and children's museums when we can do that an hour's train ride to NYC or 1.5 car ride to Philly.

We do end up traveling without her, though, and I don't think it's fair to criticize parents who travel without their kids. We have a wedding in Vegas, for instance, and my personal opinion is that Vegas is for adults 21 and over, so she will stay home with the grandparents for a few days while we attend the wedding. The only wedding we have ever taken her to was her uncle's, in fact. So we use those out of state weddings for getaways and to reconnect. I also try to do a girls' trip once a year, and my husband has two guys weekends a year - nothing fancy or expensive, just a chance to be with friends and not be a "mommy" for a day, and often to see friends he and I normally can't.

I agree, no one should criticize your choice of vacation, and thus we shouldn't criticize theirs, either! I actually don't discuss my vacations because I find many people are judgmental about the Disney thing and also about us traveling without our DD. So I don't mention any of them unless I have to! I don't need the "how can you afford it" or "aren't you lucky" with a sneer or "my DH would NEVER let me LEAVE my KIDS!" like one night away means I abandoned my DD. The way I see it, everyone who had a job gets vacation time or day off, and I'm no different!

 

[Figment's Girl]

I get that from my BIL all of the time. I don't nearly go as much as I used to and he still thinks I'm nuts. His philosophy is that if we went once, that's enought. Yeah, right.

Of course he always complains that he and his wife can't get a vacation by themselves. Duh, after you have kids, vacation is for family. Heck, we usually take as many grandparents as we can and make it a big affair. He'd probably die if he knew when I was little we traveled in groups of 10-12.

My hubby isn't a huge Disney fan but he deals with my obsession.

 

[manditrianne]

I used to work with a single mom who constantly chuckled when I was in the planning stage for my trip(s), and the chuckle was the type like, "geez, you're pathetic" as though she pitied me. One day, at the office, after I returned, someone asked how it was, and I said "wonderful, of course!" and that person returned with, "well, I always hear such wonderful things but haven't gone...maybe I should". I didn't miss a beat...I replied with, "Well, I pity those people whom think they're too good for Disney. Some scoff, but usually I find deep down they're just jealous". Needless to say, the single mom still scoffed, though silently at this one. Funny thing is, about a month later, she mentioned she was taking her daughter and would love my help planning and any advice I could offer. I left the company before she went, but I have always wondered if she realized why I went so much...

It's the magic!

 

[tlbwriter]

We do end up traveling without her, though, and I don't think it's fair to criticize parents who travel without their kids.

I agree, but the examples in this thread have been parents who claim they "can't afford" to take their children to WDW, yet they can afford cruises and exotic vacations without the kids. If you want to vacation without the kids, that's fine, but it's a choice you made - don't pretend that you can't afford to take the kids to WDW.

 

[ehrn]

"I never got to go anywhere as far as trips or vacations as a child, and I think that may be why I'm so in love with Disney. My parents didn't do "kid stuff", heck we never did anything as a family, so I feel like sometimes I'm catching up on what I missed in my childhood."

Me too!!!! We just went with my parents and my dad loved it. It was very healing in a way, I may not have been a little kid, but it was our first real family vacation and it was magical!!!

Personally, when somebody puts down Disney World, it tells me a whole lot about them very quickly. To each his own. I like being in a place that is relatively safe, predictable, has as much or as little as I want to do...

And frankly, I work hard doing some rather unpleasant things at times, I need something to look forward to. We drive modest cars, live in an ok house--yes, it sort of looks like Target and Ikea threw up all over it, it's nothing fancy, that's for sure...but I have a rich bank of memories and no regrets!!!

 

[maxtomsmom]

I get two sides. I only listen to one side of the family- My DH family says again? My family says again? Good for you! Guess which side knows best.

 

[SeptemberGirl]

We drive modest cars, live in an ok house--yes, it sort of looks like Target and Ikea threw up all over it, it's nothing fancy, that's for sure...but I have a rich bank of memories and no regrets!!!

I started laughing so hard I had to leave the bedroom so as not to wake my husband! Mine, too! The big joke with my friends is, where did you get that? Target? Or Ikea?

I agree, but the examples in this thread have been parents who claim they "can't afford" to take their children to WDW, yet they can afford cruises and exotic vacations without the kids. If you want to vacation without the kids, that's fine, but it's a choice you made - don't pretend that you can't afford to take the kids to WDW.

You're absolutely right. I say "I can't afford such and such" when I really mean we choose to spend our money different ways. We don't do ski trips anymore, we go to Disney. We don't cruise with friends, we go to Disney. We don't buy more expensive furniture like some friends of ours do - thus, the house Ikea threw up all over! It was fun, doing those things as DINKS, but now as a WAHM, I love seeing her face light up when she sees "her castle". It's worth it to us to use that money to vacation as a family. It's sad to me that some people don't see the value in a Disney vacation.

 

[xipetotec]

The crazy thing is we don't even bring disney up around them, someone else always does.

Isn't that the craziest thing?! This happens to me with two things. Disney and beer brewing ( I'm a homebrewer ). Other people bring up these two passions of mine and people start talking and then, ( here's the best part ) they say "Oh there he goes talking about Disney again!" ... umm... yeah...

 

[mom2aredhead]

We drive modest cars, live in an ok house--yes, it sort of looks like Target and Ikea threw up all over it, it's nothing fancy, that's for sure...but I have a rich bank of memories and no regrets!!!

Sounds like my house! I agree - it's not like we're sacrificing my son's college fund for crying out loud, but some people (my sis, my neighbor) choose to decorate with Pottery Barn accessories and some choose to forego that for vacations.

Actually I shoved my dining room table and chairs into the attic to make the space into a playroom for my son. I got tired of dusting the stuff and since we have an eat in kitchen and NO ONE WILL EVER COME TO MY HOUSE FOR A HOLIDAY (Sorry - pet peeve - apparently their cars will implode if they go over a bridge on a holiday) - anyway, it was just taking up space.
So you all can see where my priorities are - I don't even think I have anything in my house that qualifies as remotely decorative - unless you cound the framed litho/pin set I have hanging on the wall (and it was one of those spend $50 get this for $10 promos at the park!)

But I have lots of pictures and memories that they don't...

 

[GoingtoWDWagain]

Wow, it's great to know I'm not alone with family members (my in-law side)commenting on Disney vacations. We go every year, at least twice and if we can squeeze a third short trip we do. My DH went every year with his grandmother (dad's side) until his teen years and as soon as we were married we took our first (married and my first)trip to WDW, ever since then we've been going every year......14 year's straight. You would think by now they let it go......sadly not. I guess they have nothing better to talk about then our vacations. The first couple of years we thought maybe they just don't get it, so we'd bring back our vacation photo's and tell them all about it. We noticed they would skim through the photo's quickly and change the topic. So, we stopped talking about our trips and didn't show any photo's to them. They would still ask at every family event, "so when are you going AGAIN to WDW", only to say "AGAIN, don't you want to try something/somewhere else".....as if we did want to try something else then we would. The other funny/annoying thing is that the one's that comment are the one's that vacation to the same places every year, one relative goes to Mexico every year, another to North Carolina, another to Atlantic City several times a year, and so on. Yet, DH and I would never comment on their vacations. So, I started to answer the same question at every family event followed by "so are you going to Mexico/North Carolina/Atlantic City/etc... AGAIN" they finally got the hint and reduced the amount of times they would ask. Now when we go we tell no one, we've been doing this for three years and now they have the nerve to ask, "why do you keep your WDW vacations a secret" It really doesn't bother us anymore, they are the ones giving our vacation some thought........sad bunch. We enjoy our family trips to WDW and sadly their kids don't get that and now ask if they can come with us.....I'm sure the parents dread hearing their kids ask us this, because they always say to the kids for example one parent responded, "oh it's too hot in Florida and those rides are boring" So, ignore them and continue to plan and enjoy your family trips to WDW

 

[noahynav]

So mom and dad said yes, but stepmom said no, so she doesn't get to go? That's a bad sign...

No kidding. I was thinking the exact same thing.

 

[mjantz]

Just wanted to chime in & say that its not just Disney that get people talking. In our house, we make a distinction between visiting family & going on vacation. If we want to go somewhere & we have family there, that's a bonus but its not the reason we go where we decide to go on vacation.
Certain family members, OTOH, think we're crazy for going places just because we want to see what's there. Why go to Pennsylvania if you can't see an aunt or uncle while you're there? We've tried to get them to go on vacation with us a few times & every time they decline. I seriously believe its because the places we suggest don't have a cousin twice-removed or an uncle nearby they can visit.
We're planning a European vacation for the next year or so & I can already hear the questions. Not only no family members but foreigners with those weird languages, customs & money. How will we survive!?

 

[amyhughes]

See DH's family was spread out when we first had kids. So most of our travel was to see FAMILY. Now that they are all here, "Okay, we get to go on vacation now! WOOHOO! "

I never have understood the whole, "We have family there, let's go squat." method of travel! The last thing I want to do is impose on family I haven't seen in forever just cause we share a chromosome or two. If we are at family gatherings we usually stay in a hotel just so things stay pleasant and the visit is thought of more as "Gosh that was nice." vs. "Gosh, glad they are leaving!"