Who else has never taken a vacation without the kids?

[MamaLema]

We have never vactioned without the kids. Me and DH agreed we would do it when all of them are grown or married. They are 1, 6, and 8 so we still have a while to go

 

[kakiegirl]

Different things work for different families. However, I would never take a vacation without dd(6) and I was one of those people who before we had her said, "oh having a baby won't change my life me and dh will still go do alot of things just us" I now happily eat my words. We did for our tenth anniversary last year go off one night just us (it was supposed to be two) and we couldn't wait to get home. We try to schedule either a date night or a night to go out with another couple ever other month of so to have grownup alone time, or maybe if a movie is on we really want to see that is no appropriate for dd, besides that she does everything with us. We figure when she hits teenage years we will have plenty of time to do alone things we are going to treasure this time now. I hope to never do Disney without dd, I look forward to taking her and her husband one day, and then my grandchildren. To me disney would just not be the same without her.

 

[DisneyLovingMama]

Before the kids were born, we took trips all the time. Now, I haven't been without DD5, except for the night I had chicken pox and a 104 degree fever. Even then, I called my parents and told them to bring her home - Luckily they didn't.

DH and I talk about going away without them, but it'll never happen. We'd miss them too much.

 

[Jacksmom99]

I'll be the different one here. We are planning a trip next August for our 10th anniversary to WDW without the kids. DS is 6 and DD is 3, and DS is already trying to angle a trip for himself from Gramma! I love my kids and will miss them terribly while we're gone, but this is also an opportunity for them to spend the week with my parents who live 3 hours away from us. They are planning on taking the kids camping and fishing and a bunch of other things. I don't think the kids will notice that we're gone LOL! We've been planning this trip for 2 years, DS is fine with us going without him. I can't imagine sending my kids off for a week at my parents if I didn't have anything to occupy myself with. My kids are going to make wonderful memories with Bampa and Nana, and DH and I will have some time to reconnect and enjoy each others company.

 

[crisi]

Regularly.

With my mom and sisters, leaving the kids with my husband - because Daddy time is important for the kids and time with my mom and sisters is important to me.

With my girlfriends, leaving the kids with my husbands - because my girlfriends are precious to me (and the kids get more Daddy time).

But especially with my husband, because after the kids are gone I want to continue to be married to someone I enjoy and that I have a lot in common with. Marriage takes work, and spending a long weekend (or even a week) together on vacation is (IMO) a great way to keep a marriage strong and healthy. Its easy to drift apart during the 20 years you spend raising children - I don't want to look across the table from him in 12 years and think "why am I married to you?" Perhaps not everyone needs a few "couple days" to keep their marriage healthy, but it seems to help. Besides, the kids get a vacation at Grandma's house - which they beg for.

 

[Becky2005]

Nope...I always take the kids along. Sometimes DH doesn't come but I don't know if you count going to visit a friend that lives 3 hours away and spending the night as a vacation?

We haven't done many big vacations....last one was over 5 years ago, we only had the 2 older kids but they came along.

I guess it never really occurred to me to take a vacation without the kids. I know when our first was born, DH's cousin kept suggesting we do it and she would watch the baby....never wanted to (I would have been worried the entire time anyway - I saw no reason to go on vacation for a week and leave the baby!). Still don't see a reason to go off without the kids for more than a dinner and maybe a movie. We have left the baby with my mom while the rest of us would go into the city but we still had the older kids.

 

[chrisn]

Who happen to be DD-17, and DS-7. We always take our kids wherever we go. I can't stand the thought of being so far away from them if something were to happen. My parents always took us as kids. We went on family vacations and that's what I do with my own kids. I fugure I can travel with DH when they are grown and married but for now, I just want them with me to experience all the wonders the world has to offer and have wonderful, precious memories to hold close to my heart forever.

 

[GeoffM24]

As much as my wife and I love jr we take vacations without him. For us keeping our relationship strong and having adult time together is very important. Both sets of grandparents fight over watching our son which makes things esier. We veiw it as a fantastic oppurtunity for him to build a relationship with them.

We have just seen too many couples relationships turn into two people who happen to live together. There is a reason more then 50% of marriages end in divorce. You have to take care of your kids and relationship.

Like anything in life balance is the key and the most difficult thing to do.

 

[SheDaisy0088]

We took one vacation without DS. It was more like a mini vacation. Only 2 days. DS was 1 at the time and we went away for our anniversary. I was miserable the whole time. I vowed that when we went on our vacations from now on he would be with us!! I will have plenty of time when he is older to enjoy DH!!

 

[skiwee1]

Regularly.

With my mom and sisters, leaving the kids with my husband - because Daddy time is important for the kids and time with my mom and sisters is important to me.

With my girlfriends, leaving the kids with my husbands - because my girlfriends are precious to me (and the kids get more Daddy time).

But especially with my husband, because after the kids are gone I want to continue to be married to someone I enjoy and that I have a lot in common with. Marriage takes work, and spending a long weekend (or even a week) together on vacation is (IMO) a great way to keep a marriage strong and healthy. Its easy to drift apart during the 20 years you spend raising children - I don't want to look across the table from him in 12 years and think "why am I married to you?" Perhaps not everyone needs a few "couple days" to keep their marriage healthy, but it seems to help. Besides, the kids get a vacation at Grandma's house - which they beg for.

ITA! I can't imagine never going away without the kids once in a while! There are family vacations and there are couples vacations. DH and I really look forward to that ALONE time when we go away.

 

[rbork]

I'll chime in on this one. My Kid's are my life. However, I am married to a wonderful husband which often gets slated because I am to involved doing something for the kid's DS5 and DS8. I agree, long after the kid's are gone or just not interested in going with us because it's un-cool, I want to re-connect with hubby. Now - I did honeymoon in Disney! Disney is GREAT for ADULTS. I also spent a week on a cruise for our 5th anniversary. We made our wills ahead of time (REALLY! LOL) and left the boys with wonderful friends. I knew they were having a blast so I didn't worry about them. Another anniversary we flew to Canada for a romantic week, hit terrible turbulance, and vowed not to travel w/o them for a while at least. Still freaked out nontheless.
We booked a disney cruise for next year so that we can have adult time and know the kid's are having fun w/o us. Disney cruise is a great compromise.
Perhaps you'd consider something of that nature.
Good Luck.

 

[beautybelle]

We have one son age 8 and I would never go on a vacation without him. I wouldnt be able to have any fun and hubby wouldnt either. Every time I'd get on a ride I would be thinking how much he would like it or every time I would sit down to eat I'd be thinking how he would like to be there. I just couldnt do it and have a good time.

 

[my3princes]

Didn't read all the post, but we have never taken a vacation without our kids and I wouldn't dream of it. I will have plenty of time to vacation with dh once the kids are grown I treasure every minute with them now. Oldest is 9 and youngest is 2. I have seen all three of my boys every day of their lives. They go to grandmas overnight, but she only lives 10 minutes away. My parents never vacationed without us so I guess I know the value of family time.

 

[JudicialTyranny]

Our oldest is 9 (will be 10 in July), and my wife and I have never both been away overnight without the kids. We have each been away separately on occasion, but not together.

(We were just getting to the point where we thought our youngest would be OK to stay overnight with someone else, then suprise! Number 4 is on the way.... very much unplanned...)

 

[homedad]

We try to get away every year for at least a long weekend sans our kids. I think its important that my wife and I get to have a few minutes to talk, relax and eat a meal that take more than 30 minutes. We take plenty of family vacations every year(skiing, beach down south, and up north) so I'm long past the guilt factor of being away. We miss them when were gone but I figure one week a year won't warp them to much.lol

 

[Deesknee]

Triplets are 14. We have never had a vaca without them. Not even one night. When they were little I wanted one or two nights (just to get a whole night sleep), but DH was against it. Now I'm afraid if I did I would spend the whole time saying things like "oh the kids would love that" or "wonder what the kids are doing" lol Soon enough the older 3 will be on there own & we'll be traveling with one. I imagine that will feel like a vacation without the "kids"

 

[Trinity721]

I was away from DD one weekend for a trip to Houston. She was with my parents in Chicago where we were staying, and DH was stationed in FL. It was a very difficult weekend, I was calling home all the time. After 2 years of being apart while I finished school in Chicago and while DH was on stationed in FL/deployed in the Persian Gulf, we are finally together here in FL. DH doesn't want to spend another minute away from his wife and little girl, so I doubt that we will ever have a vacation w/o DD. We haven't even had a honeymoon! Shoot, DH had to report to training at 5:30am the morning after our wedding day. We would like to go to Europe, but DD will definitely be coming with us.

 

[tlbwriter]

We have one son age 8 and I would never go on a vacation without him. I wouldnt be able to have any fun and hubby wouldnt either. Every time I'd get on a ride I would be thinking how much he would like it or every time I would sit down to eat I'd be thinking how he would like to be there. I just couldnt do it and have a good time.

That's why I would never take a trip to Disney without DD. I know she'd enjoy it too much, and I would feel guilty about her missing it. But when she's older, I'm sure DH and I will manage to take an occasional trip to someplace romantic to us old farts, and boring to kids, and I won't feel bad about it at all.

 

[Jackie0824]

I agree, I couldnt imagine taking a vacation without my kids. Im just a big sap that way. We dont leave them even to go out alone, well not much. Sometimes a friend will come and stay with them while we have a quick dinner, that happens about twice a year. We have no family here, and couldnt even imagine asking my family or his family to watch the kids while we went away. I dont even think in those terms. My kids are 10,5 and 9 months. Every vacation we have been on, my kids go with us. I figure they will be grown and moved out soon enough, and then me and my husband can vacation alone. We are going to Florida next month, spending time with my parents in Ft Lauderdale, and then 3 days in disney. Then in Aug 2006, have booked a Carnival cruise for all 5 of us. Its expensive for a one income family, but we wouldnt do it any other way.

 

[welovedis]

I guess I'll be another of the oddballs and say that I have enjoyed a couple of trips without our DS. I married my Dh so I could be married to him, whether or not we were blessed with a child, and grow old with him. The trips we've taken help to reconnect with each other and spend time doing adult activities.

My parents used to always say that they'd never take a trip without the kids and would never leave us behind because they'd always have time to do things when we were all grown-up & married. My dad passed away the day after my 18th birthday--they never got to have their time.

Today I talked to my neighbor who told me that her & her DH are splitting up after trying to reconcile their marriage. She said the biggest reason they think they cannot but their differences aside & see the other person's point of view is because they don't "know each other" anymore. She said she thought it was great that DH & I travel once every couple of years together and spend alone time as a couple.

I want my son to grow up to respect the vows of marriage & I think showing him a strong and faithful marriage is the best way to accomplish that goal. For us that means spending time away from him occasionally & having him enjoy his grandparents company.

For those who say they don't do this, kudos to you, I could not do it as much as I love my DS, I love my time with my DH too!