What age do you?

[writermommy6]

My oldest DD is wanting to take a friend with her to Disney. She is 10. My DH and I are weary of taking on another child (we have four). At what age did you allow your kids to start bringing friends?

What were your guidelines for them bringing friends? As in rules.

TIA for any advice.

 

[mjkacmom]

Well, I don't see us ever taking friends, because if we drive somewhere, we can't fit anyone else, and if dd12 brought a friend, ds10 would want to bring a friend, so there's 2 more kids, and if just dd brought a friend, she wouldn't want to hang with ds10 (they get along great on vacations). That said, you need 2 rooms anyway, but the ground rules would be my dd would still have to "hang" with the next youngest sibling.

 

[daisyduck123]

In June 2011 we are letting DD bring a friend for the first time. Both girls are graduating then & very excited to go. They have both decided they'd rather spend a week at BCV then go w/ their friends during "Senior Week" to Ocean City, Md.

 

[ScrapperBelle]

Our rule was at least 16. That way they are old enough to take care of themselves. I know that if a 16 y/o is hungry, they are going to get something to eat. They were able to go to the pool, arcade, even the parks by themselves.

We have 3 kids, though. If I only had one, then I would have considered it at a lot younger age.

So far, only middle son brought a friend. They were both 17 and they wanted that trip in lieu of a "senior trip". Everything worked out great. They had an awesome time and I am glad we did it.

DD (actually my stepdaughter) quit going with us for a while around 16-19. We always go right at the end of the school year and she would have rather stayed home and "partied" with friends. Youngest DS will be 16 shortly and he wants to take a friend to the Smoky Mtns. He says he is "over Disney World" I just think there is no way this child is mine.

 

[disneybridetobe]

I just don't see it happening for us. I don't think I could refuse DD taking a friend in lieu of Senior Week, though! Other than that, I think the only situation would be if it's a very good friend of DD's, you know, the kid that hangs around so much you might as well claim him/her on your tax return and calls you "Mom."

 

[SCHBR'smom]

I don't think I would let DD#1 bring a friend on our next trip (she'll be almost 11 then). Mainly because we have a car full already (or should I say suburban full). For us, it is a family trip, so like it or not, she's stuck with us.

 

[liznboys]

My oldest DD is wanting to take a friend with her to Disney. She is 10. My DH and I are weary of taking on another child (we have four). At what age did you allow your kids to start bringing friends?

What were your guidelines for them bringing friends? As in rules.

TIA for any advice.

Wow, you are brave! We have four as well, and they are close in age to your four I see. We have no plans to bring any friends with us in the foreseeable future!! Maybe as teens, but yeah, definitely not yet.

 

[Leajess99]

My oldest DD is wanting to take a friend with her to Disney. She is 10. My DH and I are weary of taking on another child (we have four). At what age did you allow your kids to start bringing friends?

What were your guidelines for them bringing friends? As in rules.

TIA for any advice.

My kids will not be bringing friends with them and in all honesty I would not let them go with a friend if invited. Maybe when they are 17/18 but not any younger as to me there is too much of a risk taking someone else's child or letting them take my child. I would simply explain to your dd that it is just not feasible to take another child. What happens if the child gets homesick or extremely ill, etc??

 

[disneylandhunni]

I'm 13 right now and i am lucky enough to have my parents let me bring my best friend this year. I didn't even have to ask! They don't have any rules except to stay together at all times in the park and keep in touch when we go off alone.

I am so excited to go this year since i am an only child, i never thought i would get an experience like this one.

 

[WL Fan]

2 years ago we took our boys (they were 16 and 18) and their long-time girlfriends (we'd known them 2 years at that point). We had a boys' room and a girls' room, and it worked out great! The girls had never been on a plane, slept in a hotel, and never been to WDW. It was so much fun to see the parks through their first-timer eyes. We went back in 2008, and had just as much fun with everyone.

That being said, they were old enough that it wasn't really an added responsibility on MY vacation. I don't think I'd do it if I thought the "friend" might take more from the vacation than add to it. (In a selfish kind of way...)

 

[jakoky]

hi there, this is our first disney trip allowing one of my kids to bring a friend...i consider it a super special trip as we are celebrating my oldest dd's 18 and graduation and we are allowing her to bring 2 friends (they are actually twins)...i am looking forward to the trip as her friends have never been and they are so excited but i am kinda sad because it is really going to be a different trip, we wont get to spend as much time with our daughter as we usually do because we are going to be allowing the girls a lot of freedom...(17 and 18)...i think it will all go well, the girls are both great...my younger two havent really asked if they could bring someone, but it would be a very big NO...have fun in whatever you decide....
sharon

 

[writermommy6]

My biggest concern is the being responsible for someone else's kid plus the possible homesick or just regular sick like mentioned above.

Dh and I are considering a compromise by inviting my niece, who will be 8 by then and my SIL will most likely agree but only if she comes too. So we'll see. I wouldn't let DD go with someone else so far away so I don't expect anyone else to do that either, of course you never know.

I already explained to DD that that's a long way away and a long time away for someone who's their age. Not to mention the girl's parents would have to pay for her park ticket and food. I can't spend anymore $$. I digress. Maybe it will work out with SIL. We'll see.

 

[saratogadreamin09]

My oldest DD is wanting to take a friend with her to Disney. She is 10. My DH and I are weary of taking on another child (we have four). At what age did you allow your kids to start bringing friends?

What were your guidelines for them bringing friends? As in rules.

TIA for any advice.

My parents won't let me take a friend on our fmily vacations and I'm 14 and an only child. I understand where there coming from completely. Its a vacation for our family and I can see why my parents want it to be just family. Its a vacation meant for your family so why should you bring along someone else???? And, its unfair to just let one child our of 4 bring a friend. And 4 kids in disney is a lot to begin with.

 

[MinnieGi]

My kids are 8 & 4 so no friends in our immediate future to bring. However we have met up with several friends also vacationing with their families. Anyway I personally do not think I will have a friend come along until the kids are in their mid-teens. And although DD has a best friend next door that spends LOTS of time at our house, I think a week long vacation would leave her to homesick for her own family. But if their friendship keeps up, I fully expect to be bringing her on a trip in 5 or 6 years!!!

 

[Krissy Marissy]

Right now we only have 2 kids. So when they are older, like 16, we may permit a friend to tag along. ONLY if we love this friend like our own child and dont mind them being along. I will not bring them just to make my child happy. Like a pp said it has to be someone that adds to our vacation. If we do have four kids like we had planned then I dont see it happening. It isn't fair to let one bring a friend and not the others. JMO. I had 3 sisters and my youngest had her best friend come with us to DLR for christmas when I was 19, they were 16, but the friend was practically living at our house for years and was like a sister. If it was a different situation I would have been upset.

 

[michael's mom]

I was a freshman in highschool when I got to bring a friend and she was more of a sister than friend. She spent more time at our house than her own quite often and we'd known each other since before birth. Our parents were very good friends (in eachothers weddings) so my parents knew with absolute certainty that she wouldn't get homesick and that if she got sick, she'd be comfortable with them. I think 10 may be too young. How old are your other children? My parents did bring my little cousin down once when she was 10 as a playmate for someone that was with us (8) and even with her aunt/uncle she got very homesick at first...


As much as my sisters and I fought and argued at home, we usually (99%of the time) got along perfectly in Disney. You may enjoy just watching your kids enjoy the experience together.

 

[Ali]

Good topic for me because I am siting here trying to figure out how to invite a friend for DS8 to come with us on an overnight trip to the NIck hotel and Magic Kingdom next month for his birthday. We live less than 2 hours away and we know the family from his class at school and church so it shouldn't be an issue but I feel weird.

We would pay for everything for the friend, it is in lieu of a birthday party now. I have convinced DS to have a swimming party at the end of the school year so everyone can be invited and we can rent out the pool and it will be warm, unlike now where it is frezing here today (38 degrees) and up to 70 later today. Too weather weird and I don't like swimming in cold weather!

I just don't want the friend's siter too feel left out, and my DS's other friends to feel left out, but we have already booked and are going ahead with the plan. DS is excited because he is an only child and is always searching out friends to play with at the hotels. I don't know how this other parent will feel and I'm worried DS will be dissappointed if his friend can't come.

AHHHHHHH! to much stress!

Any advice is welcome

 

[writermommy6]

Ok, I've pretty much decided that it's going to be family only. Especially since dh came home last night and informed me that since he didn't get vacation last year (he's suppose to get 3 weeks!) the boss is going to give him a one time vacation pay check for last year. 3 weeks pay and dh said we're using it to splurge at Disney.


ALI: maybe the other parent will say yes since it's only 2hours. We're in GA so an entire state is crazy even for me.

 

[sage10]

My parents took us when we graduated from high school. They didn't want us going to Myrtle Beach, for senior week. So we each got to take a friend. Although I had just broken up with my boyfriend so I didn't take anyone. My oldest brother took his wife, she had graduated from college. And my other brother took his girlfriend. They rented a house and paid for food, everything else we had to pay for on our own.

 

[tinkerbell423]

I have three children and my oldest (only boy) is 4 yrs older than the middle. We bring cousins with us my childrens cousins are all their age, my cousins daughter and once we traveled with another family and they brought their nephew who was close to my son's age. Cousins work out because they are familiar with our family rules and know all the children not just one.
I know this may not work out for all families but it is nice for us to spend time with our family this way.