To ask if you take your children out alone

[ijustdontcareifhedid]

I don’t mean to the park or soft play, more big days out.

YABU yes

YANBU no

Yes I do but at some ages it’s really not easy and in some cases just not feasible or enjoyable- for example I have a friend with 2yo twins and a 3yo.. 3 walking age kids who are little enough to not consistently follow instructions. She really needs help to have a day out. So if you’re struggling OP don’t be disheartened by all these ‘yes of course I do’ answers. They could be talking about less children or older children than you have.

I know so many women like this though, my DH works away and so I am on my own with my children for days/weeks on end. Have been since paternity leave ended with the birth of each. Yet I have friends who won't even take both kids to soft play alone and message me in a panic about how they will cope with their partner being away for a night.

I find it odd.

I find it much harder to stay in the house alone with the kids for a 24 hour period.

ATM no I wouldn’t. I have a 3yr old and a 1yr old and it can be tricky to manage being out and about as it is.. add in big crowds, excitement, over stimulation.. it sounds not very fun for anybody without a second pair of helping hands. I take them all on wee days out 1-1 with no issues and I’d have no problem doing it alone once my 3yr old stops trying to run off every second 🙈 (yes he wears reins but it’s still stressful)

Not in big day trips, no. But then they're all 6 and under (3 of them) and I don't drive.

I'm sure I will once they get older. I would happily take just the eldest alone tbf as long as the public transport wasn't going to be more than an hour each way. But currently not possible as the baby is only 2 months old and exclusively breastfed. Definitely wouldn't take any combination of more than one of them yet! DH used to very rarely take the two oldest on day trips alone before the youngest was born. But he drives and is physically more fit and able than me for things like carrying a tired toddler around etc which I would struggle to do. I was pregnant then too to be fair.

Genuinely surprised as the amount of people saying they don't as it wouldn't even have occurred to me to not to. My Mum used to schlep the three of us, including one DC with significant disabilities, all over the place so maybe that's why.

Just seems so co-dependent and precious to not be able to leave the house with my own child/children/cousins/random friends without a grown up to hold my hand.

I have 3 DC and often took them out with DH (he worked a lot of weekends when they were young). Just made sure I had snacks!

Just to add, we do play parks, soft plays, shopping trips, beach, farm visits, picnics etc with all 3 in tow.. I thought you meant theme park type days..

Why not? I had 4 and did most things with them alone including road and rail trips - did a lot of counting up to 4 though!

Taken them all over England and wales and lots of places in europe

I've taken my children on holiday alone. Although the youngest they were for this was 13 and 8.

Not if it’s a ‘this is going to go down in history as the best family day ever or something remembered forever’ just because dh should get to experience it too. Last year I was working and dh took two of the kids camping, I had convinced them to go without me but I really felt it afterwards. If I was a single mum yes, of course!

Nope. Ours are 4, 10 and 11 and the park or the local cafe would be all I could manage on my own. The four year old is a handful

really @Pyjamatimenow?

I have a youngest that is/was tricky when out sometimes (asd) but surely at 10&11 your others are old enough for it to be ok?

don’t limit yourself and your kids unnecessarily

So what happens in school holidays?

This depends so much on circumstances and the age and behaviour of the kids though, doesn't it?

I wouldn't take my three kids alone to soft play, no.

Firstly, I don't drive. The nearest soft play accessible via public transport is around a 45 mins 🚐 ride away and it only comes every hour. So I wouldn't want to risk missing one/one not showing up and being stuck for two hours at the other end. I would possibly consider it only with the eldest who is 6 and could be trusted to sit in a cafe in the shopping centre or look round the shops whilst we waited. No way with the three year old, and no way with the 2 month old because they could decide they want breastfeeding right when we need to leave for the bus, or shit all up their back at that exact moment or something. Plus if I couldn't get on the bus with the pram - its a very tiny bus that does that route, not a normal sized bus, so there's only space for one pram or wheelchair - then again I wouldn't want to be trapped for a further hour in the hope I could get the next bus.

Add to that my 3 and 6 yr old do not play well/independently in soft play and I can't be running around a play frame with a 2 month old. The 3 year old also would probably eventually start trying to mess with plug sockets, or run out, or mess with stuff on tables and whatnot which would be not fun and difficult to deal with what breastfeeding the 2 month old. Then if any of them need the toilet or baby needs a nappy change I'd have to take all of them with me into small, dirty soft play toilets.

No thanks.

Obviously as they age things will change but right now it's definitely not something I'd want to do.

I actually don't find the odd day at home too bad with them because my 3 and 6 year old do generally play together pretty well without too much bother. And the 2 mo is a pretty easy baby so far.

Definitely don’t give yourself a hard time about this! I’d just stick with whatever is easier with little kids for the time being. They change so quick and you’ll soon be off with them without a problem!

Youngest was 4 and oldest not much more when I took them abroad on my own for the first time. Prior to that I had taken them on trips on my own pretty much from birth (and was in a relationship at that point too).
Don't think I'm that unusual although maybe others met up with relatives/friends at the destinations so had help in that way?

Yes. I have since they were born. Occasionally I will ask my partner to join us, which he will do, sometimes reluctantly. He seldom plans activities with them, without me. I've never given this much thought -- I plan activities for the kids, not to spend time as a couple.

No, I haven't done yet. Kids still small though so I'm more likely to as they get older.

A big day out is expensive so it's only the kind of thing we'd do a few times a year and we'd do it together.

Though my DH has taken our DS out on his own for big trips but this was while I was pregnant - I wasn't very mobile and was needing breaks!

I have also taken the children away on holiday by myself (in a foreign country). Didn't even occur to me to invite him along, as I knew he'd prefer to work and have the house to himself. I didn't mind at all.

I would if I had no other parent present / busy etc yes.

I did numerous FOREIGN holidays with 4, so glad I did. Time flies: and they are all travelling the world now!

I did.
When they were very small I took them to places like Gullibers world.
As they got older I took them on hill walks in the Lakes alineand by the time they started high school they had a lot of mountain walks under their belt as well.
I took them skiing, mountain biking and hiking in Poland, the Swiss Alps and Germany.
Sometimed i miss mine being kids!

I prefer to do big days out with my husband as a family but yes, I still take my kids out on my own on big days out as I'm at home whilst they're young. Mainly the zoo and museums

Single mother so yes, I’ve taken mine abroad on my own!