Is is wrong to go on holiday without your child?

[GinFizz3489]

I have a 3 year old and as you can imagine he is full on!

We took him abroad last year on holiday and it was nice but I didn't really feel like I got a holiday, more just parenting in a new location. Myself and my husband didn't really get to enjoy nice meals together or kick back with a few cocktails.

We are going away a family holiday abroad again this year and have chosen somewhere really geared towards kids entertainment etc.

I mentioned to my husband about maybe booking a holiday next year abroad for just the two of us to actually get a break. However this would mean we couldn't have a family holiday abroad.

Is this wrong? Should I just suck it up and accept this is my life as a parent and that I won't have many years of taking my son abroad? Or do we take some time for us?

While we are away my son's grandparents said they would take him away either abroad or somewhere in Britain so he isn't missing out.

My parents left us a couple times with my grandparents for two weeks and from what I remember, it was cartoons and unlimited snacks. They had a holiday and we made memories too. Don’t feel guilty OP enjoy yourself!

You need a holiday. A 3 year old doesn’t NEED a holiday. It’s not like he has a job. So don’t feel guilty about him missing out on travel abroad that he wouldn’t even comprehend. But I agree that a whole week away from you might be pushing it.

Don't feel as though I missed any of that. Where I live has 2 beautiful beaches that we go to on a regular basis. Our summer weather here starts in May and often goes until September or October. So my summer memories with my children are outside of our very busy tourist season where the locals can hardly get to do much of anything. I also normally worked with the public so I was busier then and wouldn't have been able to make all those memories.

So you do you. I did me and it worked out wonderfully for our family.

I never said I didn't see them during the summer. I would go to my parents on the long weekends.

I considered myself lucky that I had parents healthy enough to want to have my children for the times they did.
So many people don't have this.

Best holiday I went on was when my kid was about 4 and my sister and I went to visit our dad who lives in Far East.
I left DS and DH at home. I got to hotel and was jet lagged. Realised I could just lay on the bed and read my book in the air con room or grab my gear and go read by the pool. I had nobody to entertain, I didn’t have to get everyone organised and out the door. It was just me. I actually took a short nap and then went to find cocktails! Having time for myself actually made me a better parent as I was running on empty.

I'd do this in a heartbeat right now, sometimes it's nice to do adult things with adults. Especially if it rekindles your relationship with your spouse and gives you more energy to do parenting stuff afterwards. If it's an option and your child will be somewhere with people they love doing fun things too it feels like a win win!

It’s fine. However I would say at that age every year is completely different. They change drastically. No two holidays are the same a few months apart before school age. Therefore 3 > 4 won’t be at all alike.

We go to the bog standard all inclusive kids club and kids entertainment holidays, that way we don’t have to worry about cooking/ finding restaurants and we can have 2- 6 hours a day to chill to ourselves depending on how much or little we use the kids clubs. We’ve done holiday village/ tui sensatori/ tui blue type holidays in the past, and then we try to get away for a long weekend just the two of us.
as a kid, my dad worked loads and long hours and he’s always talked about the regret of not being there as much for us, but my perception of childhood with him is long 2 week holidays in the sun, and was t hugely aware of him working lots midweek, because we always made the most of family holidays, so for me, it’s important to go away as a family. The running after them stage doesn’t last long before they’re off making friends and entertaining themselves anyway x

100% wrong.