For those of us with young children, taking them on an airplane or a long car journey somewhere can be daunting. You don’t know they are going to react, and even when you do get to your destination, you don’t know how they will cope without home comforts.
It doesn’t help to hear horror stories from other parents about how their children didn’t stop crying for the entire trip. At the end of the day, when you go away somewhere, you want to enjoy it, and sometimes young children can take away that enjoyment.
One Reddit user has two young children and has always been a keen traveler. She wants to go away for a couple of days without them this year but feels a bit guilty about it. Is she right to feel that way? Let’s read the whole story before passing judgment.
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A Holiday Changing Diapers or a Holiday Relaxing?
The original poster (OP) explains that she hasn’t been away on an adult-only trip ever since her first child was born. Her eldest is six years old, and her younger is just 17 months old; therefore, both need her undivided attention on family trips.
She has always loved traveling and has admitted to her husband that she would love to go away without the kids for a few days, telling him that she hasn’t done anything fun since 2015. Sounds a little bleak!
OP’s husband has told her that he thinks she is selfish for wanting to go away without the kids, but she doesn’t see the point in booking another family holiday until her youngest is four so that he can properly enjoy himself.
The idea of going away with a toddler who needs daily naps and diaper changes doesn’t exactly appeal to her as she doesn’t think it would be much of a vacation.
Taking to Reddit, she asked the question of whether she is selfish for wanting to book an adult-only vacation instead of a family trip this year. Here is what she was told…
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Look After Your Own Happiness
One of the top comments came from a parent who had wrestled with similar thoughts when her children were younger. However, she said that taking children away when they were babies has been beneficial in the long run. She added:
“If you start the kids young, they quickly get used to traveling. Ours are 10 and 8, and we’ve been flying with them since they were babies, and now they are seasoned travelers. They know how to pack a backpack with ipads, blanks, snacks, etc, and they know all about airport procedures. Maybe do a staycation type trip with the kids and a bigger adult trip?”
Another person, however, was fully on OP’s side after a recent nightmare experience with toddlers on a plane. They said:
“I went on a family trip with my 18-month-old twins, and I would never do it again. We got berated by other passengers for having such young kids on the plane, and it was a hassle taking their strollers through the airport. Travel should be something not enjoyable, not taking the hobbits to Isengard.”
What do you think? Should parents be able to go away without their kids providing they have someone to look after them? Or should family trips always come first? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Read the full story here. This article is produced and syndicated by The Impulse Traveler.
