First time leaving the kids home - any tips/advice?

[GeorgiaMomof4]

I know many of you have vacationed without your children maybe for the first time on a cruise. My husband and I are doing that this trip (first time in 19 years we've been on a vacation without children). We have 4 - ages from 19 down to 9.

 

I'm okay with it (I think) but the Mom in me is worrying that I'm going to miss something I need to tell them. I don't want to freak them out but I've already mentioned just in case how to get into the safe deposit box, about life insurance etc.

 

Any additional advice, suggestions, tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[bearette]

I would leave a letter authorizing whoever you are leaving them with to make medical decisions on your behalf for your underage kids. Hopefully it won' t be needed.

 

I just did a three day trip without my babies( 22 month old Twins) you will miss your kids but will have a great time.

[kona_wahine]

Relax and enjoy. In the grand scheme of things this is such a short time. Focus on each other. ;)

[Sunshine1023]

We are about to leave on Sunday for an 11 day cruise and we are going to be away from our 5 year old boy for 13 days!! We have provided my mother in law with lots of info but here are some important things we have done:

 

*Provided a letter stating she has the authority to make medical decisions in case of an emergency and given her his insurance card.

*Wrote a list of medications with how often and dosage they can take and what med's not to give/allergic too

*Wrote out a daily schedule so they have an idea of how their days work

*List of favorite movies/games/tv shows/toys, etc

 

This probably seems like a lot but I tend to over prepare and it helped me feel more comfortable. I have only left him once in his 5 years over night so this is a big step for me.

 

Hope you have a good time on your trip :)

[Tapi]

I don't want to freak them out but I've already mentioned just in case how to get into the safe deposit box, about life insurance etc.

 

 

 

Thanks!

 

 

If it makes you feel better, my parents are in their 70's and I've begin living away from home for 23 years now. My parents STILL tell me where important things, valuables, and insurance and account information are before they go on vacation.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Hstergo]

dont forget to feed them :D

[crewsnews]

You can keep tabs/ in touch with them if you go to the Carnival.com forums page and create your own thread under the "Currently Onboard" forum. Make sure your kids or their caretaker has a Carnival.com account so they can log in as well. Then give them the correct forum/ thread info. You can make it a few days before you go and get everyone accustomed to using it.

 

You can use the internet café or your own wifi device to log onto Carnival.com for free while onboard. (its the only website that is free to use without setting up/paying for an internet account.)

 

Then you can just chat back and forth using the forum thread. Just remember that the whole world can see every thing you type.

[psueaz]

Thanks for the great tip crewsnews!

Do other cruise lines have free wifi for their forums, like Carnival?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Edited February 4, 2014 by psueaz

[Mac n cheese]

Thanks for the great tip crewsnews!

Do other cruise lines have free wifi for their forums, like Carnival?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

I want to know this too! I'm leaving our kids for the firs time this long with friends. I'm nervous but we really need the adult time together!

Mine will be 2 & 4 years old at the time.

[GeorgiaMomof4]

dont forget to feed them :D

 

 

 

This is probably a really good one since I'm leaving the younger ones home with the 19 year old and 16 year old! My husband and I have kidded each other that we wonder if the older ones will have the younger ones killed before we get home or if the little ones will have the older ones tied up in a corner somewhere when we get back -

[GeorgiaMomof4]

You can keep tabs/ in touch with them if you go to the Carnival.com forums page and create your own thread under the "Currently Onboard" forum. Make sure your kids or their caretaker has a Carnival.com account so they can log in as well. Then give them the correct forum/ thread info. You can make it a few days before you go and get everyone accustomed to using it.

 

You can use the internet café or your own wifi device to log onto Carnival.com for free while onboard. (its the only website that is free to use without setting up/paying for an internet account.)

 

Then you can just chat back and forth using the forum thread. Just remember that the whole world can see every thing you type.

 

 

 

I had fogotten about this - thanks for the reminder!

[dcwalker]

Not exactly an answer to your question, but I saw this cute idea from another thread - for anyone cruising without their young kids - it will ease your guilt because you'll be doing something for your child while enjoying your cruise - ask your child to lend you one of his or her favorite stuffed toys and pose it every night with your towell animal and take a picture

[Mac n cheese]

Not exactly an answer to your question, but I saw this cute idea from another thread - for anyone cruising without their young kids - it will ease your guilt because you'll be doing something for your child while enjoying your cruise - ask your child to lend you one of his or her favorite stuffed toys and pose it every night with your towell animal and take a picture

 

Thats a great idea! Thank you, my 4 year old would be tickled that his animal was going round taking pictures!

[Onessa]

This is probably a really good one since I'm leaving the younger ones home with the 19 year old and 16 year old! My husband and I have kidded each other that we wonder if the older ones will have the younger ones killed before we get home or if the little ones will have the older ones tied up in a corner somewhere when we get back -

Speaking from personal experience as the ten-years younger sister whose older sister had to come home from college once a year to "take care of her"; the older siblings will likely make the younger kids lives an absolute living heck. I did literally spend one afternoon tied up in a corner. Another night I slept in the garage (pushed and locked out). Here's hoping this works better in your family that it did for me!

[Warm Breezes]

I know many of you have vacationed without your children maybe for the first time on a cruise. My husband and I are doing that this trip (first time in 19 years we've been on a vacation without children). We have 4 - ages from 19 down to 9.

 

I'm okay with it (I think) but the Mom in me is worrying that I'm going to miss something I need to tell them. I don't want to freak them out but I've already mentioned just in case how to get into the safe deposit box, about life insurance etc.

 

Any additional advice, suggestions, tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

We have left our children with relatives many times over the years for adult land vacations and just this past October left them home alone at 19 and 16 for the first time ever to go on our first adult cruise for our 25th anniversary. We always made sure to leave an insurance card and a letter authorizing medical treatment. We also left a detailed itinerary with our cell phone numbers, e-mail addresses, hotel numbers, and emergency numbers on the ship. We checked in with them through facebook when were on the ship and on the cell phone when we had service back on US soil. To be honest I never mentioned anything about life insurance, etc. We have a Will made up with the appropriate people having copies.

[SadieN]

Speaking from personal experience as the ten-years younger sister whose older sister had to come home from college once a year to "take care of her"; the older siblings will likely make the younger kids lives an absolute living heck. I did literally spend one afternoon tied up in a corner. Another night I slept in the garage (pushed and locked out). Here's hoping this works better in your family that it did for me!

 

 

At least your parents didn't leave you alone when serial killers were on the loose, lol

They did that to me when Richard Ramirez and the Buono cousins were terrorizing LA in the mid80's.

How things have changed.

Edited February 4, 2014 by SadieN

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We use phone skyp ...to call

[Onessa]

At least your parents didn't leave you alone when serial killers were on the loose, lol

They did that to me when Richard Ramirez and the Buono cousins were terrorizing LA in the mid80's.

How things have changed.

Once, they did leave smack dab in the midst of some body parts having been found wrapped up in odd boxes across the area. No seriel killer, just a husband getting rid of his wife (piece by piece) :D

 

Plus my sister, well -- no telling how loose those hinges are! :)

[spunkyhungry]

Just an idea... my parents did this when they went on vacation without my brother and me one time. I was around 9, my brother was around 5.

 

To make us feel better about missing vacation and missing our parents they had a small present for us each day they were gone. They were wrapped and kept in a closet, and each day we each got to open one. They were small things - trading cards, markers, small toys, etc. I liked it. It was fun to get a present each day while my parents were gone.

[Athankfulheart]

We have left our children home many times. We do like to leave something fun for each day after school and chores are done ( we homeschool and continuing school work during our absence helps pass the time). We make up bags with treats, a DVD, game or puzzle. We usually do something fun the morning that we leave ( before they wake up).

 

One cruise the movie Despicable Me had just come out. We left the makings of a " shrunken breakfast" along with a printed and colored stand-up of Vector and the shrink ray. There was a tiny frying pan, spatula, small eggs, mini bananas, cocktail bread ( for toast). They loved this one.

 

Another cruise we took washable markers and drew messages for them all over the fronts of our white appliances. They enjoyed them and left them up until the day we got home, when they went on a cleaning binge :)

 

Others have given good advice about paperwork and such.

Our first two cruises we had family members stay with our children, but after that, our children stayed together with the oldest in charge. I believe that the first time our oldest were 18 and 17. My husband and I have cruised 5 times, with 2 of them including our children.

[luvmyboyz]

You can keep tabs/ in touch with them if you go to the Carnival.com forums page and create your own thread under the "Currently Onboard" forum. Make sure your kids or their caretaker has a Carnival.com account so they can log in as well. Then give them the correct forum/ thread info. You can make it a few days before you go and get everyone accustomed to using it.

 

You can use the internet café or your own wifi device to log onto Carnival.com for free while onboard. (its the only website that is free to use without setting up/paying for an internet account.)

 

Then you can just chat back and forth using the forum thread. Just remember that the whole world can see every thing you type.

 

That's a great tip!

[luvmyboyz]

Speaking from personal experience as the ten-years younger sister whose older sister had to come home from college once a year to "take care of her"; the older siblings will likely make the younger kids lives an absolute living heck. I did literally spend one afternoon tied up in a corner. Another night I slept in the garage (pushed and locked out). Here's hoping this works better in your family that it did for me!

 

Yikes - sorry your sister was so mean! My sister is 10 years younger than me, and she only remembers the "mean" things I did, which really weren't all that bad LOL. (sure, I got annoyed sometimes and probably said mean things, and there was one incident where I put her in a closet and another where I told her our mother was never coming back because I was irritated that she woke me up in the middle of the night - ok maybe I was a little mean sometimes!!) Of course she forgets all the nice things I did, like giving up time I could have spent with friends to spend with her instead, and giving up the opportunity to participate in after school activities so I could help out my mom by babysitting her! As an older sister, I can say that younger siblings have it soooo much easier!! :p

 

Seriously, though, I'm sure the OP's older kids are relatively good to the younger kids; otherwise, I doubt she would leave them alone with them!!

[Onessa]

Seriously, though, I'm sure the OP's older kids are relatively good to the younger kids; otherwise, I doubt she would leave them alone with them!!

We can only hope!

 

The point, not all siblings get along and most importantly sometimes older siblings or other relatives are "put upon" to provide care when they really don't want to and it may not be a great experience for your kids.

[ediesbeads]

This is a great thread! At what age would you feel comfortable leaving your kid alone? My oldest is turning 16 this year. Her younger sibs will be 9 and 12 when we cruise as a family later this year. I don't think I'd leave them alone until my oldest was at least 18.... maybe 20? LOL! I'm just thinking ahead. This year we are going on a cruise for our 25th wedding anniversary and my daughter's sweet 16. This will be a family cruise. But wow, it's a lot cheaper to go as a couple! I've talked with my MIL about watching them, but she seemed iffy about the idea. I'd hate to buy a cruise, then have MIL back out or something at the last minute. Someday, someday we'll go on a cruise alone!

[Mac n cheese]

This is a great thread! At what age would you feel comfortable leaving your kid alone? My oldest is turning 16 this year. Her younger sibs will be 9 and 12 when we cruise as a family later this year. I don't think I'd leave them alone until my oldest was at least 18.... maybe 20? LOL! I'm just thinking ahead. This year we are going on a cruise for our 25th wedding anniversary and my daughter's sweet 16. This will be a family cruise. But wow, it's a lot cheaper to go as a couple! I've talked with my MIL about watching them, but she seemed iffy about the idea. I'd hate to buy a cruise, then have MIL back out or something at the last minute. Someday, someday we'll go on a cruise alone!

 

My parents didn't leave me alone till I was 18, but I also had no siblings to watch over.

We are leaving our 2 & 4 year old at home with friends (we are stationed overseas and no family can make it out to watch them) . After this deployment we felt we needed some time as a couple together with out the babies (they are 16 months apart!)

Every family has a different comfort level. I would most likely not leave mine alone in the house without an adult till one is 17 and can drive. If I felt they could handle it.