To drive 2 and a half hours with my kids on Monday and Tuesday?

[surreygirl1987]

Not sure what to do and would love to hear other people's opinions.

I graduate from my PhD on Tuesday. It's a huge deal to me and I've been dreaming of this day for years. But it's a 2 and a half hours drive away and of course, there'sthe weather warning. Original plan is to drive up on Monday, spend the day at a local children's attraction, stay in an airbnb overnight (log cabin sort of thing), attend graduation on the Tuesday, and then drive straight home. For context, kids are both preschoolers. They won't actually be in the graduation ceremony (they wouldn't stay quiet for that long) so my husband is going to try to watch on the big screen with them, or else take them to the nearby air-conditioned shopping mall if that fails. I wouldn't bother travelling up on my own. Nobody to babysit the kids if my husband and I went without them.

I wasn't too bothered by the impending heatwave before (we've lived in Australia, plus travelled to some extremely hot parts of the world - people do cope!) but now I'm started to have second thoughts due to the severity of the warnings.
What would you do? What should I do!

YABU - no way should you be going- skip the graduation
YANBU - stick with the original plan (or go alone; a consideration but one I'm reluctant to do and would probably rather not go at all).

I would seriously look at deferring to the next ceremony date, especially as you say none of your particular group are attending this one.

If one / both of your pre-schoolers get unwell due to the heat, your options to look after them all get very limited in a car / away from home.

Congratulations on your phd! Your achievement is much more important than a ceremony.

I would go on my own because having the DC there would be a massive distraction even without the added weather issue. I would do a wee garden tea party at home to celebrate with your DH and DC afterwards. I live a trip alone though!

You think it's a good idea to take two pre-schoolers to an outdoors attraction during a red heat warning?!

There will be no respite from the heat once you are out of an air conditioned car. From recollection I don't think toddlers' bodies are great at regulating heat. My gut feeling is its quite dangerous to take them, and I'm normally pretty relaxed about these things (not a catastophiser at all). What if one or both started running up a temperature?

I'd go myself, if the ceremony isn't going to be postponed (not sure what the university is thinking of by not postponing when there is a red weather warning but that's a different issue - I've seen that our local schools have been told to stay open) but why would you take the kids to hang around outside watching on a big screen anyway?

I wouldn't take the kids this week. If it's important they're there, I second a PP who suggested deferring the ceremony date to the next round.

But I really came on to say huge props to you for finishing your PhD with small children. That is a tremendous achievement.

Thanks so much for all the replies. The uni has since emailed. The graduation will be going ahead but they have warned that there is no aircon and said we have the choice of deferring to December (and getting robe hire, photography bookings etc transferred too). So we've gone for that option. Feels like the right decision and now I don't need to feel guilty or worry about risk. Thanks very much to everyone for offering your opinions- genuinely useful food for thought!

Great outcome.
Maybe it can be linked with a Christmas trip in December 😊

Brilliant,much more sensible 😊