holiday WITHOUT the kids

[Belgrano]

I've been invited on a girly hol to Ibiza in September when DD will be 3 and a half and DS 13 months. I wanted to go for about 3/4 days as I am worried about leaving them (am a SAHM so they are used to me being there ALL the time!). But the flights are expensive and times are tricky and blah bnlah - it ends up that the others are going for a week.

Do you think leaving them for a week at that age is going to mess them up? Am I being daft even thinking it might?!

My DH and/or their grandparents will take care of them in their own home so not TOO disruptive.

I'm not really worried about DD as she is old enough to understand things but DS is a real mummy's boy. I will probably only just have stopped breastfeeding him - in fact its my goal to have stopped so I can go on the holiday.
Thoughts please!

Well only you can know whether you would be ahppy to leave them for a week or if they would be happy with you going.

I personally couldn't go away for a week without my little girls as I would miss them too much and they would miss me.

My DH and I did it for a week and amazingly enough our children were not at all damaged by our absence. Dd1 was 4 and DD2 was 19mths and they stayed with their grandparents.

Obviously we have watched them closely ever since for post-traumatic behavioural consequences but there's nothing we can pinpoint to our going away... Sorry for the sarcasm but really, it is up to you.

We knew our children were in good hands and we went away with their grandparents blessing.

I also regularly go away to see family in NZ for 10 days at a time and do they care - not a jot, they are secure and well looked after at home with their daddy. Do i miss them? - yes until they start squabbling while we're skyping each other and then i am again suddenly grateful for the break!

YOu're not a bad parent for not always putting your children first you know.

You are leaving them with their father, not abandoning them! I have left my children for periods varying between 2 nights and 2 weeks since they were born, they are now 7, 11 and 16 and none of them are traumatised or have particular separation anxiety. Now we are in Oz I go home to visit my elderly father for a couple of weeks every two years leaving them with their dad.

Each to their own but a lot of the time the issue is mothers who need to feel like their children can't survive without them (I will no doubt be flamed for that one but I firmly believe it ), the kids are fine. Go and enjoy!