What should I do re possible passport issue?!

[Weathergames]

Going on holiday in 3 weeks.

DS2 has different dad from DD and DS1, he went on holiday with his dad May half term (in the UK but still a holiday) this will be my older DC only holiday this yr.

His passport needed renewing (when I booked the holiday I did not realise it was out of date) and should be back next week.

I am panicking slightly - if worst comes to the worst and we don't get his passport back in time do I leave him with his dad and take the other two away or cancel the holiday :S ?!

I wouldn't take two and leave one behind personally, it's not your ds who forgot to renew his own passport! But I think you'll be fine and I'm sure your passport will arrive in time. Hope it works out.

I am thinking I would leave him :S

I am thinking I would leave him :S

No, you book something in the uk instead, you don't leave a dc out of a family holiday due to your own admin error.

But why should the older two be punished either? And so much money wasted?

Hopefully the passport will come, but otherwise I'd go, it's a terrible shame but you need to salvage what you can.

Make it up to DS2 another time, perhaps a school trip abroad that the others haven't had.

Hope it works out, get onto the passport people.

They're not being punished. If it doesn't arrive the op has wasted that money. They can have a lovely holiday in a tent if need be.

If it was one of the other dcs, would you leave them?

This is a family holiday. Excluding one member of that family is not right.

What would you do if it was DS1 or DD's passports? I think there are ways to justify leaving him if you have to, but I don't think that him having had a UK holiday already is reason enough. If you wouldn't dream of leaving behind DS1/DD then it's definitely unreasonable to leave him just because he's had a holiday with his dad - a family holiday with you and is siblings is a very different thing.

How old is your DS2? Would he understand why he's been left behind and take it well? Some children would probably take it well, but others I imagine would take it very badly. I was very insecure as a child and felt my parents favoured my siblings over me, had they left me behind from a family holiday I would have been devastated and further convinced my parents felt like that. I also am sure there would have been lots of cried of 'It's not fair' and horrible behaviour from me too. But some other children would probably feel it was okay so long as it's made up to them in some way. If you can arrange some one-to-one time to take him away on his own maybe that would work, or let him choose the next family holiday or something.

Only you know your son and how he would take it, hard for anybody else to say whether it is reasonable or not as it depends so much on how upset he would be by it.

Hmm we'll I would suggest treating them all the same, if they all had the same dad would you send one off to a grandparent or like wise?

It's hardly fair that ds2 should reap the consequences of your bad planning.

And prepare to have a very sulky left out child upon your arrival.....

I would leave him. Especially if canceling for everyone is a huge loss of money.

Can't you upgrade the application to a Fast Track?

Seriously, you would consider leaving one of your DC at home?!

If it was all booked and paid for and non-refundable, and couldn't get one passport in time, then yes, but for sure would make up for it by taking him on an extra special trip as soon as the passport came in.

Haven't you got time to sort out a fast turnaround passport for your DS - I thought things were starting to ease at the passport offices.

Check on it's progress, and if necessary, pay for the upgrade?

of course you dont leave one behind due to parental fuck up

No way can you leave him behind! Get on to the passport office. You can get a passport in a day if you're prepared to go to your nearest office, even if you've already got an application in the system.

Call the passport office. I temporarily 'lost' mine last week (long story, I'd left it on a plane but have now got it back). I called the passport office on Sunday, they made an appointment for me the day after in Liverpool and told me I would have my new one within 7 days. Admittedly it would have cost £103 but I suppose it depends how much you want you your DS to go on holiday with you.

Have to say that after everything I gave read in the press recently I was really and pleasantly surprised by how helpful they were and how quickly I could have got a replacement.

Oh, and if I hadn't have lost it and just needed a new one because it had expired I could have had a replacement in 24 hrs. Again, pricey but would have been worth it.

I'e changed my mind because of that other thread. Don't leave him behind.