Hal

After reading some of the questions here, it seems like a lot of the parents plan vacations around their children (not the time of year but children's entertainment). I cannot imagine going on vacation and constantly catering to a child. I applaud the mother in Florida who wants daycare for her child.

x

It's not so much that the vacation was planned around the children's entertainment. It's a matter of finding the appropriate entertainment ahead of time and being prepared. We'll be heading to my in-laws for Thanksgiving soon. My husband and I can easily find stuff to do away from the house. It takes a bit more advanced planning to accomodate the children.

J Correa

I can't imagine planning my vacation around children either - that's why I don't have any.

Sara

I am a single mom. My 2 children (elem. school aged) and I vacation as often as we can all together and always have a blast. I recently took my first vacation without them and it was very nice. I didn't miss them while I was gone as it was only a 5 day trip and the destination was wonderful and romantic for my significant other and myself -- Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood, OR. However, the vacations with the kids have been just as wonderful. That said, a suite or adjoining rooms are a must for us. Without that, the enjoyment level would be greatly reduced.

x

Snooze, the post is at or about # 40. The thread is titled Florida Vacation with 16 month old. The originator is looking for a place that has babysitting or a kiddie program.

Emily

I am a mother of a 3 yr old and am wondering about where to vacation that will be appropriate for us in the next few years. We don't 'cater' to our son every minute on vacation, but there should be age appropriate activities for him to enjoy.

Thus far, he has been to San Francisco for 3 days, liked the trolly, sea lions & Rainforest Cafe at the Pier; Palm Springs (twice) for swimming, children's museum, Living Desert & Aerial Tramway; Daytona Beach & WDW we all had an amazing time. Our next vacation will be to Gr Canyon, Sedona and Scottsdale. Not too sure what other options there will be for us after that, especially if we have another baby!

Hal

Emily, you are exactly the parent I am asking about. You never said where "we vacation" but went into a litany about where "he has vacationed" and what he has seen.

Emily

I didn't see how it was relavent where we have vacationed without him. My point is that those places he has been were not centered on his needs, or we would go to Chuck E Cheese for vacation & he would be perfectly happy.

While in SF, we also took him to Alcatraz & on a city bus tour, not what comes to mind for a 1 1/2 yr old, but that's what we wanted to do. In PS he plays in the pop jets at the pool and we can relax and watch him having a great time. I doubt he will be thrilled about Sedona or even the Gr Canyon, but swimming at the hotel will be lots of fun for him, so we all get to enjoy our vacation, together.

And by the way, if my husband & I want to get away, we hire a babysitter we trust at home. Our vacations are for a brief time, so we spend the time together.

Utahtea

I missed all the controversy also.

Our family took our vacations together. The kids were happy just being a family and being together. We took two to five week traveling camping trips each and every year.

Utahtea

aMom

Hal, I sure hope you are not a parent. Part of being a parent is to take pleasure in doing things with and for your children. In any case, we have ALL enjoyed family vacations to Disneyworld and family vacations to Europe. There are many vacations that can cater to both children and adults.

Lenore

Hal - I'll assume you don't have kids. My husband and I have chosen the child-free life style too. It's always very hard for us to relate to our siblings (who all have kids) since it appears that their children run their lives 99% of the time. I once asked my sister if it's possible for HER to have fun if her son is not. She basically said "no" because if he's not entertained then he'll act up, whine, cry or whatever until he's doing something that makes him happy. I said don't you ever do anything just for yourself....things that are just to make you happy? She couldn't come up with an answer. How sad is that? This doesn't apply only to vacation time, but year round, day in, day out! My sister in law and my brother are basically in the same boat.

natalie

Husband and I are happily married 8 years child free by choice. What bothers me is when parents let their kids run loose on vacation without any consideration if their behavior is bothering others. When I sit down for dinner on vacation I don't want kids running and screaming around MY table when I'm paying hundreds to try to relax and have a good meal. And then the parents SCREAM at them to stop. The yelling is just as loud as the kids. I wish parents would have consideration for people trying to relax. Just because they don't get a minute of peace they shouldn't ruin it for others that are paying a lot of $$ trying to enjoy a nice peaceful vacation.

A Mother

I guess I don't see the either/or mentality. Vacations with the kids can be wonderful. Time with your significant other is equally important.

What on earth is wrong with a mother asking how to combine the two experiences? Or both seperate couple trips and kid trips? It's the Extreme Parent at either end of the scale - all kids, all of the time, or no kids any of the time- that perturbs me.

Perpetuator

For those of you who "can't imagine" and who "have a hard time relating" to siblings with kids, I have a certain kind of pity. While there are certainly days I would trade with you, there are years of joy you will never experience, that child-free not by choice couples spend hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to experience, and that you may rue in your senior years. I regard parenthood as a fortune bestowed upon me, as a duty to humankind, and as an all too ephemeral most wonderful and unselfish time in my life like I have never experienced and you never will.

Jackie

I totally agree with Perpetuator.

getreal

Wow, Pertperuater, may we call you God? Some think the world is over populated. You really aren't different, you're just average. Quite a grandiose point of view.

J Correa

Perpetrator - those are some of my favorite arguements that parents make trying to convince the child-free to have children. Go ahead and pity us - pray for us too if you want. It doesn't really matter.

So what if some people choose not to have children? What difference does it make to you? You should actually be happy that there are those of us without children because the child-free pay more in taxes than those with kids because we don't have any children to claim on our tax returns. If we had children, we would be putting less money into the system and taking more out in services.

Emily

I doubt the 'tax issue' has any bearing on anyone's decision whether or not have children. It's pretty silly to bring it up at all.

Kidsaren't

J. Correa you've got it all wrong. People with children could care less if you have kids, and I for one would never try to convince a childfree couple to have them. The world doesn't need any unwanted kids, after all.

Very good friends of ours don't want children, and for good reason, the husband visible shakes and winces just being in the same room with them. I get the same feeling when his dogs jump all over me with their muddy paws. They have canine children, I have human children. to each his own.

He also admits he had a rotten childhood, which I suspect is the case for many childfree couples.

J Correa

Emily - I didn't say the tax issue has anything to do with people's decision to have children. I said that those with children shouldn't give people without kids so much crap for not having kids because in general CF people pay more in taxes than people with kids. There is more money in the general fund because there are people without kids.

Kids aren't for everyone - Maybe you could not care less if other people have kids, but obviously Perpitrator does care. Otherwise he or she wouldn't pity those who don't have kids or comment about how CF people will rue their decisions when they are old. As someone without kids, I get questioned about not having kids faily frequently, even by virtual strangers. The questions are usually followed by all kinds of reasons why I should have kids. Other CF people experience similar things.

I know many people without kids, some had rotten childhoods, others had great ones - just like people with children. I really don't see any corrolation. My husband and I both had pretty good childhoods, yet we don't have kids.