In asking did your parents go away without you when you were little?

[Stantons]

I often read on here about parents having holidays or nights away without their kids and a lot about separated parents doing this which I guess is more understandable. My parents never did this when I was a child 35 years ago is it a more recent thing?

Yes! In fact my mother went backpacking around India when I was about 18 months old! I stayed with my aunt. Later on (I was still primary aged) my parents often used to go away for weekends without me. I stayed with friends, family members whoever was on hand! I’m not sure they were fussy! I rarely leave my own dc but that’s more because we don’t have willing family members and it doesn’t seem to be the done thing just to dump your child with randoms for the weekend anymore!

Once only, for their 10th wedding anniversary. Left some of us with maternal grandparents and some with paternal grandparents. I think being more than two children made it more difficult to leave us with others.

My parents didn’t because they were military and didn’t have anyone to leave us with. Dad’s parents were young but not interested and mum’s parents were too elderly. My aunt who lived with my mum’s parents had the two of us overnight maybe 2-3 times throughout our childhood. My parents didn’t even have childcare when my sibling was born. My parents would have really benefited from some time away, particularly my mum. It’s sad for them that they didn’t have it.

Yes, when my brother and I were primary aged I remember staying with our GM whilst M&D went to Tunisia. They also went to Egypt in my teens.

Before covid DH and I would go on the Big Holiday with DD and then gave a weekend away in the autumn.

60/70s our parents twice moved transatlantic without us kids when applying for jobs and sorting housing. We stayed with grandparents. The only real memory I have of those Weeks was flying with one sibling on our own to our grandparents and being looked after by ‘air hostess’. Exciting. Don’t remember feeling lonely or worried - I was under 5 each time they were away.

They never went abroad without us until we were over 18 thinking back. Their attitude was that if the plane crashed that we would go as family rather than them leaving us orphans and that they wanted us to see what they saw.

To be fair my parents were quite wealthy and they could afford to take us. My parents loved City breaks so in exchange we were expected to behave and basically eat adult food in high end restaurants. Not whine etc. Although when my brother and I decided we wanted to visit a Mcdonald in different Cities they were game to go.

They would go away for the odd night or two for weddings of friends or my Dad used to be given nights away by companies that he used through work as a thank you. We were then looked after a couple who I still consider my second parents.

I had very few sleepovers as a child but it just was not done where I was from but had a few.

No overnight stays, but they did go out regularly in the evenings.
My mum was in a babysitter club where they traded points so no-one had to pay anything and you had a whole range of other mum babysitters from the surrounding four streets. So it wasn't a concern about leaving us with anyone - I suspect it was a combination of limited money and actually not thinking of going away alone once my brother and I were born
They made up for it once we had left home!