Are we being over-protective? Would you leave your 6 and 4 year olds...

[alarkaspree]

with friends for 3 nights to fly abroad for a wedding?

We live abroad, and have been invited to a wedding in October. It didn't even occur to us that we could leave the children with anyone here for a long weekend so have planned that I'll go to the wedding on my own. But so many people I've mentioned it to have offered to have the children that I'm wondering if we are being over-protective.

I would leave them with family, if we had any here, and I might leave dd (6) with friends, but I think 4-y-o ds would find it very upsetting. And it's not as if we will be able to come back easily if anything goes wrong. So I'm not going to change my mind whatever you all say, but I'm interested in everyone's opinions.

4 does seem very young. No I wouldn't have done it.

Well I would if I trusted the friends and they knew the dc really well and the dc were 100% comfortable with them.
How about letting them stay for a 'trial run' while you are nearby to see how they get on?
TBH I've never needed to leave mine with anyone other than family but I definitely would with a close trusted friend.

Depends on the friends in the question and your own children really. I think not leaving a child because he/she would find it upsetting is perfectly reasonable and I would do the same. All kids are different though.

yes, with a trusted friends who knows the children.

Not a four-year-old. Too likely they'll get upset, and it's quite a lot of work for the people looking after them! Not unless it was an emergency.

Yes I would, with trusted friends. I would do a trial run first, though.

No, certainly not for a transatlantic flight.

depends on the friends and the dc - my eldest would be more upset than the 4 yr old but even she would love to stay with certain friends (unfortunately never been invited!).

After this week I would happily leave dc!

If they were good friends and the children know and like them then YES.

Yes I would.

I left my kids aged 6 and 2 with my sister and went to Boston for a long weekend. It was fab!

I would probably leave them with family, but not with friends.

Thanks everyone. Sounds like we are not crazy! I certainly know some 4 year olds that would be fine with this, but pretty sure mine isn't one of them.