Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Would you go on holiday without your kids?

193 replies

Popc0rn · 09/01/2020 19:10

Just wondering what other people's thought are on this, would you go on holiday and choose not to take your young (aged less than 10) children with you? Children would be looked after by someone they are very close to.

YABU = No, I wouldn't go on holiday without my children.

YANBU = Yes, I would go on holiday without my children.

OP posts:
golddustwomen · 09/01/2020 19:12

Depends on age for me! Mine are 2 and 5, haven't been on holiday without them yet. Although I spent all last years summer holiday wishing I was 😂

PumpkinCounty · 09/01/2020 19:13

YANBU. I've been on holidays many times without my dd.

Why would it be wrong?

Whynosnowyet · 09/01/2020 19:14

Ds is 5. The youngest with new dh. Been going away regularly since we got married when he was 10 months.
Guilt free!!. Parenting is hard and marriages need nurturing also imo.

ImFreeToDoWhatIWant · 09/01/2020 19:14

Yes I would and I think it's important to do so if everyone is comfortable. We're extremely fortunate that grandparents look after our children for a 5-6 day block every year so we can have a proper short holiday. We stay UK based but it's invaluable to our mental health and our relationship health!

PotteringAlong · 09/01/2020 19:14

No. Plenty of people do but I don’t want to go away without them.

BellatrixLestat · 09/01/2020 19:15

YANBU!

We went away for our anniversary a couple of years ago. DC stayed with grandparents. No issues at all and we had an amazing time!

Thehop · 09/01/2020 19:15

We took ours on honeymoon. I can’t imagine going without them and not feeling guilty that they were missing out!

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 09/01/2020 19:15

Id go away for a week if they were with my folks. I'd go longer if they were with dh.

PumpkinP · 09/01/2020 19:17

All my friends do this Crown Confused why it is a problem? The only time I’m abit Hmm is when they are constantly off on holiday but the child has never been on holiday.

Itsallgonewoowoo · 09/01/2020 19:18

Only if it's best for them. Eg. Went to a wedding in US, took eldest but left youngest behind as they wouldn't cope with the flight. I enjoy holidays with my kids, they're part of the enjoyment.

Knittingnanny · 09/01/2020 19:18

I’ve got three adult children in their 30’s. When they were 18,16 and 10 I went on a weeks holiday with 3 other couples, it was fine. The ten year old spent a lovely week with his cousins. However one of the couples regretted their decision and didn’t enjoy the week at all.
I wouldn’t have done it if the children had said they didn’t want us to go or it was the only holiday of the year which meant the ten year old missed out though.
There was some disapproving muttering which I ignored.
After reading this thread I texted them to ask in retrospect how they felt. Not one of them can remember the occasion of being left at home!

TeeniefaeTinseltoon · 09/01/2020 19:19

We went away without our kids last year (age 6 and 17). They went on holiday with their grandparents while we were away. We also took them away in the October holidays.
Everyone had a fab time. That was a once in a lifetime trip though so wouldn't do it again.

Lozza70 · 09/01/2020 19:19

Definitely yes. As long as the children are with family they are comfortable with why not? As long as they also have holidays with you at other times.

confusedandemployed · 09/01/2020 19:20

Hell yeah.

With appropriate care obvs.

Ylvamoon · 09/01/2020 19:24

YANBU - I (& we) have been. As long as the kids are well looked after I don't see an issue.

Wejustdontknow · 09/01/2020 19:27

I wouldn’t go on a holiday where it wouldn’t matter if they came such as lounging round a pool/beach holiday as I would rather enjoy it with them but have been away to places I know they wouldn’t be interested in such as sightseeing in Rome and left them home

MaryShelley1818 · 09/01/2020 19:27

Depends on circumstances. Me and DH haven't been out of the country together without DS yet (he's just turned 2) and I'm definitely not ready to (we've had many nights away in the UK).

However we're both happy to go away with friends as long as he's home with one of us. I went to Spain with friends for 4 days when he was 5mths old, and I'm going away again next month for 3 days with friends to Prague. DH is going away later in the year for 3-4 days.

We absolutely adore holidays as a family but doesn't mean we don't like time away alone too - they're not mutually exclusive.

By the time he's 3 DS will have had 6 foreign holidays and countless trips round the UK so he doesn't miss out!

PawPatrolMakesMeDrink · 09/01/2020 19:27

Fuck. Yes.

Skyejuly · 09/01/2020 19:27

Yes. I have several times.

user1487194234 · 09/01/2020 19:30

Absolutely

Bluedogyellowcat · 09/01/2020 19:30

Every year I go on a girls trip for 5 nights and my husband and I did 5 nights every year without kids. I think it’s really important

Louise91417 · 09/01/2020 19:31

Defo yes...parents need a break

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 09/01/2020 19:32

No, holidays for us are for everyone not just the adults. Plenty of time for trips alone once they leave home. I’d feel guilty they were missing the trip and couldn’t put the responsibility of them onto someone else.

criminalweetabix · 09/01/2020 19:33

God yes I need the odd break sometimes.

sunshineandshowers21 · 09/01/2020 19:33

mine are 12, 5, and 14 months, and me and my boyfriend go away every year for a week without the kids. they have other holidays throughout the year with us, and they love staying with my parents so i don’t see any problem with it.

Swipe left for the next trending thread