Leaving DC with thier aunt for the weekend.

[LynetteScavo]

Should I provide any money to cover expenses?

And if so how much for 3 DC? She will take them swimming, and feed them.

They only stay with her one weekend per year.

I'd offer, but I imagine she'd refuse.

Their Aunt, as in your/their father's sister?

If I was the Aunt I'd be offended you offered, unless (maybe) you were much much better off than me and I was doing you a huge favour.

In your position I might offer "spending money" to cover the cost of the swimming, but certainly noting for food.

In the past, after Dsis has bought us all lunch out, etc on the "big stay over weekend" I have insisted on her having £50, but last year I gave her nothing, adn she was still complaining about the price of swimming at Christmas (her her DP and my 3 DC = about £20, so she kept telling me)

DH suggested giving her £50 to cover expenses.

We are about equally well off financially.

I would offer some cash for activities but not stress about it. I was Auntie long before I became a Mum and I loved getting my hands on the DNs and spoiling them rotten.

Depends whether the visit was initiated by you/your needs (i.e. aunty is acting as a babysitter for you to give you the time to do something else) or if the visit was initiated by the aunt wanting to spend time with her DNs.

If people babysit unpaid for my children, I don't expect them to incur any expenses so I'd offer to pay for activites.
If people have asked to spend time with my children for pleasure, I'd assume that they also had made plans (and budgeted) for any activites they choose to do together. Although either way, I'd probably give them a nice bottle of wine to say thanks and help them recover from the experience.

If DH's sister looked after DS and DD for the weekend then we would definitely cover any expenses and might well give her something extra as well, but we are 34 and she is 19.

If my sister and her DH, or DH's brother and his DW did babysitting we would offer to pay expenses only I think.

As the said aunt of Noah's DCs (not the 19 year old one; a 31 year old one), I would refuse Noah's offer of expenses! But then the most expenses we would probaly incur might be small things like drinks in a cafe, or swimming pool entrance.

I suppose it probably depends entirely on your relationship with the aunt and the financial position of the aunt.

It's sort of a mutual thing....DS1 went to stay first years ago when he was 6, and his cousins were still at home (they must have been about 14/15) and since then he has been every year. But last year all three DC's stayed. DH and I don't need childcare, although it will be nice to have a meal out. It's a 2 hour drive to my sisters, and then a two hour drive home...then the same the next day, so a bit of a trek.

But if DH and I both dropped dead, Dsis would be their guardian, so I thinkshe and DC should have as many bonding opportunities as possible.

I'm over thinking this, aren't I!

My nephew is here this week and I wouldn't have expected my sister to offer any money - I invited him and am expecting to pay for entrance fees, swimming, etc.

Mind you, when we visit her she is always very generous to us and I feel this is the least I can do in return, iyswim!

Maybe ask her what she thinks/wants?

Is it possible she was just showing surprise at the cost of taking a family swimming? Entry prices to these things always come as a shock to me and I take a family out fairly regularly.