Do you get a guilty feeling if you pull your kids out of school?

[kristikae]

So is your remark supposed to be an insult or some attempt at being witty?

 

I think it's pretty obvious...it was both.

[Jewelrymom]

What makes our country so great is that we are all entitled to our opinions and we will go down in history fighting with each other to changed those opinions to our own way of thinking!! :p Everyone with and without children is going to have a different opinion and IT'S OK IF WE DISAGREE!

[sblahars]

I think it's pretty obvious...it was both.

 

...and neither were very good.

[parrotthead]

Sblahars: I was asking /inquiring as to why this sparks such a personal chord with you? (I never did find out if you ever answered the question as to if you actually have children) I have followed this (very long winded) thread and from the get-go you were out to get the 'terrible parents' who would dare to take their children out of school.

As I have mentioned I am one of those parents...( and this will be our first cruise this summer,so, it's not just a 'crusie thing' and, no children will be missing no school for this one) but I do take them out when: 1) its convient for me and 2) when it's necessary. After all is my desicion.

You came out with your 'guns a blazin', from the start which is (I think) the main reason you have been the target of many unkind comments. However, please read back if you need refreshing...you came onto this thread with many accusations about the other posters being bad parents...when one person ask a simple question..."Do you feel guilty"? So, I guess your answer would be "Yes, I'd feel sooo guilty that I'd never do it" is that correct? For many-many of the rest of us our answer is 'No, not really'

**Get a grip**:cool:

[parrotthead]

I think it's pretty obvious...it was both.

Pretty sucessfully, I'd say!;)

[sblahars]

Pretty sucessfully, I'd say!;)

 

 

... and I'd say you are wrong. Because it didn't insult me, so how can you say something was successful at being an insult when it didn't insult the person it was intended for?

[MrPete]

Yo... SB.

 

This is a message board. You are anonymous to me. I can't laugh at you. I don't know you. I participated in laughing at your posts where you are trying to defend your opinions.

 

READ:opinions.

 

You've stated yours. Others have stated theirs. You seem to be in the minority. Do you really care? I hope not. Do I care? Not unless you're the OP looking for my opinion. I'll state it and move on.

 

I'm not going to try to get you to change. I don't care to defend mine to you. I stated earlier what I would do. And that's a decision I make between myself, my child, and her school.

 

If they're good with it, so am I.

 

Happy sailing!

[Onessa]

. . .I've been bashed for making blanket statements about everyone else, but the last two posts have made the same statements about me, calling me an idiot and saying only someone with childhood trauma could have views such as mine. . .

Parrot head said "perhaps some early childhood trama is to blame?" I don't believe that to be a "blanket statement" it is a possible explaination and with the "sarcastic" emoticon, I would interpret it as not just a possible explaination but one that was meant in jest.

 

. . .Throughout the course of this thread I've asked friends, family, etc, in passing about their feelings on taking kids out of school for a vacation. Their careers spread all across the board as well as education level, from high school graduates to PhD's, and I've found those who do take their kids out of school (the few that there are) seem to do so because the vacation they are going on is THEIR (the parents') passion, not the kids.

 

And everyone else (the large majority) think the same way I do. I'm not someone who is narrow minded, I represent the majority. This forum is lopsided because it is a thread for and about cruising, something that people admittedly get obsessed with.

 

I know you'll argue I am in the minority, if that were the case, then it seems to me that there should be at least one kid absent for an entire week EVERY week throughout the school year. Say average 30 students per class, roughly 30 weeks per school year...it should work out to one per week every week. I know that when I grew up, there wasn't one kid missing per week for an entire week EVERY week. I know teachers from elementary to high school, and they don't have kids gone all the time for vacation. So where is this majority? Is EVERYONE as narrow minded as me?

I have an advanced degree in statistical analysis and have worked in market research (ACNielsen). Not one point that you have made throughout this thread has any empirical evidence to back it up. It is you opinion and the opinion of your acquaintances. That is fine - I would expect anyone to surround him/herself with like minded people, just don't try to present your opinions as facts.

My observations and personal experiences (talking to folks I deal with on a regular basis) indicate the opposite of your findings. I'm not stating mine are right and yours are wrong - just to let you know that your findings may need some additional work.

I spoke to teachers (at elementary, middle, post-secondary levels), co-workers (all a bunch of computer geeks:D ), my neighbors (mostly retired folks), friends (mainly also computer geeks but a surprising number of vetrenarians), family (nice cross section - from a city planner, an insurance executive, some paper mill workers, a lumberjack, an airline pilot, several small business owners). Most, who had children, had taken their children out of school for at least one family vacation. Of the rest only two indicated that they never would support removing a child from school for vacation - one is a self-described crumudgen, the other is my least favorite uncle (so I'm very biased here!).

 

As to your reasoning as to the number of kids missing school - I'd say at least at my daughter's elementary school your reasoning would work out - she has 20 children in her class. The week my DD was out for our HI cruise (thanksgiving), Jaysee's familiy was in Mexico and Olivia was in Germany (two weeks). Zack and Alex (twins) were out for 10 days in December for snowmobiling. Kody (with a "K") was out the week before Christmas for a trip ti TN. Becca was out for two weeks to visit her father in Mississippi before he shipped out overseas. Allison's family lives in Mississippi, but since her father is a pro football player, they kind of commute between Jackson and Green Bay - it is a very odd arrangement in my opinion, but it works for her family. Cody (with a "C") dad is a physician and Cody's family joined him in Africa for nearly three weeks while he was finished with a tour with doctors without borders. So we've got over 13 weeks and we are only in January!

[colette5479]

Oh how true. :)

 

Amazing how people can come on here and offer up advice as to what they themselves would do.

 

Then others come on here to tell others what they should do....over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and.....:eek:

 

Pete, I'm amazed how some folks are so worried about the actions of others. Is it going to personally affect them if a stranger on the Internet takes their child out of school for vacation? Am I missing something or have we elected another hall monitor??:confused:

[sblahars]

Pete, I'm amazed how some folks are so worried about the actions of others. Is it going to personally affect them if a stranger on the Internet takes their child out of school for vacation? Am I missing something or have we elected another hall monitor??:confused:

 

Don't you see that it DOES affect others. What if the kid was working on a project with a group, and he was going to miss a majority of the time, then his group suffers because he isn't there to contribute.

 

That is just one example.

 

What about the teacher who the parents expect to provide all of the work he'll be missing and be expected to take time away from the other students to get him caught up.

 

That is another example.

 

So you see, EVERYTHING you do affects others in some way.

 

It is more than teaching a bad lesson, but everyone only cares about me me me me me me me me me.

[cliomom]

I never-ever felt guilty about pulling all my kids, out of school, for any vacation, or cruise.

My family has been on cruises during the school year during their elementary years, their junior high years, their highschool years, and YES...even their college years!!!

Do you honestly think we do this on a whim??? It takes a lot of preplanning, and working with the school to get assignments, and their responsibility(the kids) to realize that the priorities of having a cruise also means getting the work done before/during and after. This is part of teaching that takes place to make sure assignments and work are completed in response to having family/fun time in life.

As mentioned before...all four of my children have completed college degrees, and have fine respectable jobs, and have cruises full of memories, and family vacations in their memory banks. so..NO, no guilt here!!!

P.S....I LOVED PUSHING THAT SUBMIT BUTTON AND BRAGGIN!!

(from an educated college mom!!!)

[H82seaUgo]

Don't you see that it DOES affect others. What if the kid was working on a project with a group, and he was going to miss a majority of the time, then his group suffers because he isn't there to contribute.

 

That is just one example.

 

What about the teacher who the parents expect to provide all of the work he'll be missing and be expected to take time away from the other students to get him caught up.

 

That is another example.

 

So you see, EVERYTHING you do affects others in some way.

 

You can throw any interaction in there you want. Let's say it was destiny that the car the kid was going in that day was going to be in a car accident, and wasn't due to them being on vacation. Just look at the lives they saved. But the insurance dollars. Were they wasted. Did someone at the insurance company lose their job? And the lunch staff where that person worked. Did something go rotten and spoil, and someone got sick from it, who smoked, but gave it up because they really wanted to anyway, but their house caught fire cause they threw all their lighters away, and one ignited? And then did the garbage collection staff have to get cut back due to that one less house putting that run under ther quota, and the mailman too, .....:rolleyes:

 

Your logic is flawed. Your examples are being created to support something. I just don't know what.

 

I know TEACHERS that go on vacation during school time (which is what gave ME the idea to ask if it was alright to remove mine).

[xpcdoojk]

OMG

 

C'mon buddy, as far as parenting skills, taking a child on a cruise during school time is pretty low on the bad parenting list. I was reading the paper this morning about a meth lab in a home with 4 children between the ages of 2 and 10. Talk about an education and poor parenting. There is no exact right way to raise a child. Who knows if what works for one will work for another. I do know that I took a week off from school from Jr. High on in order to go snow skiing. I graduated college in three years. So, I guess I would have graduated in two if I hadn't missed that week every winter. :rolleyes:

 

jc

[halos]

It's funny.

At the high school level, some schools offer short study-abroad sessions. My daughter went to Costa Rica for close to 3 weeks with her Spanish class when she was a junior in high school. The other teachers had to give her work ahead of time. They were Ok with it and she managed fine with it. This was considered a learning experience because she was submerged in the Spanish language for 3 weeks, staying with a Costa Rican family.

Now she's a junior in college. She took her one year of foreign language, as required and hasn't used any Spanish since. I'm sure she would recall it if she was back in a Spanish speaking environment, but let's face it, if you don't use it, you lose it.

Anyway, the thing she REALLY learned on that trip was a social lesson. Seeing and expeiencing people in other lands is something you can't learn in a classroom, no matter how good the social studies teacher is. I learned something as well...that she could miss 3 weeks of school and NOT be affected by it in any way. None of her other classes suffered in the least.

When my girls were little, my DH and I were adamant about NOT taking them out of school for trips. In hind sight, a few days, even a whole week off would have never hurt them. You learn a lot when you experience something and look back. This is why I think granparents are the only real smart parents :D They know what's truly important.

[sblahars]

You can throw any interaction in there you want. Let's say it was destiny that the car the kid was going in that day was going to be in a car accident, and wasn't due to them being on vacation. Just look at the lives they saved. But the insurance dollars. Were they wasted. Did someone at the insurance company lose their job? And the lunch staff where that person worked. Did something go rotten and spoil, and someone got sick from it, who smoked, but gave it up because they really wanted to anyway, but their house caught fire cause they threw all their lighters away, and one ignited? And then did the garbage collection staff have to get cut back due to that one less house putting that run under ther quota, and the mailman too, .....:rolleyes:

 

Your logic is flawed. Your examples are being created to support something. I just don't know what.

 

I know TEACHERS that go on vacation during school time (which is what gave ME the idea to ask if it was alright to remove mine).

 

My logic is not flawed. I simply showed examples how taking you kids out of school doesn't just affect you. And the other examples you showed are things that can't be controlled ( either getting into or avoiding an accident, you don't plan ahead of time to do either, etc) and they aren't planned. And they also don't involve removing someone from their responsibility.

[parrotthead]

xpcdoojk: you hit the nail in the head! Humor is what this thread has come to...many of us have long since stopped trying to make any real sense of what that one poster is ranting about...but, it is more like a train wreck, I'd say...I just can't stop watching...just to see what unenlighten, mumbo-jumbo he will spout next:eek: .

[halos]

oooh boy!!!! Good for you!!!! You as well probably couldn't wait to tell the world you graduated in three years. You should get with the other lady on this thread who has an advanced degree in statistics and you guys can play "show me yours and I'll show you mine."

 

just come back after you have kids and finish raising them...then maybe you'll have something to say worth listening to.

[usha]

We felt a little guilty taking our youngest daughter out of school for a week for her first cruise when she was a junior. All of her teachers gave her the assignments for the week, and she brought along all of her books and did the assignments while cruising. We really expected to get some flack from at least one of her teachers, but every teacher was quite supportive of the cruise. (This was a really strict Catholic prep school!)

She did great that semester, and actually went on to get a college degree.

That week away from school didn't warp her little brain at all.:D

[colette5479]

Ah, the classic ad hominem attack, and for the second time. You really need to come up with some new material. :rolleyes:

 

Then, of course, the lack of seeing the point that you have carried your opinion to an obnoxious extreme. In other words, ignoring the fact that your opinion about taking kids out of school is really just a teensy tiny problem compared to real problems that kids actually face in the real world. Which, of course, demonstrates just how foolish your repeated attempts to force everyone to accept your obvious wisdom rather than to realize that not everyone is going to agree with your brilliance.

 

In the meantime you have provided hours of humor for many of us, and for that we must all thank you. :D

 

jc

 

Well said Buddy! I can honestly say I have not been so entertained in ages. It's like a virtual Engergizer Bunny.....you know the ad.....

And doesn't it remind you of someone else??;) :p

[parrotthead]

Well said Buddy! I can honestly say I have not been so entertained in ages. It's like a virtual Engergizer Bunny.....you know the ad.....

And doesn't it remind you of someone else??;) :p

:D Yes...and it just keeps going...and going...and going...(LMAO):cool:

[usha]

Wow! sblahars, you're going to work yourself into a brain aneurism!

[colette5479]

We felt a little guilty taking our youngest daughter out of school for a week for her first cruise when she was a junior. All of her teachers gave her the assignments for the week, and she brought along all of her books and did the assignments while cruising. We really expected to get some flack from at least one of her teachers, but every teacher was quite supportive of the cruise. (This was a really strict Catholic prep school!)

She did great that semester, and actually went on to get a college degree.

That week away from school didn't warp her little brain at all.:D

 

We took our 9 yr old daughter out of school in 2004 to go on our SOS cruise. This fell on fall break so she missed three days. Her teacher was excited for our DD because they were studying the Everglades and she would actually get to visit it. So my DD took pictures and gave a full report to her class when she got back. If I recall correctly, the DD made A's in all of her subjects that semester. I sure hope those three days missed didn't make us the worst parents in town or make it where my DD will not graduate HS someday:rolleyes:

[goodml]

We took our 9 yr old daughter out of school in 2004 to go on our SOS cruise. This fell on fall break so she missed three days. Her teacher was excited for our DD because they were studying the Everglades and she would actually get to visit it. So my DD took pictures and gave a full report to her class when she got back. If I recall correctly, the DD made A's in all of her subjects that semester. I sure hope those three days missed didn't make us the worst parents in town or make it where my DD will not graduate HS someday:rolleyes:

 

Nope, sorry colette, you ARE the worst parents in town.:D

[goodml]

Awwww, Looks like were all busted;) ...sblahars has us all figured out...oh well. We knew he'd see thru us someday, didn't we??

(What is planet is this guy from???) I have been reading and I have yet to see where we have all come to the 'point that he is right' ...Am I missing something??

 

I say: Terrible parents of the world unite!!!

 

I'M IN!!!

[parrotthead]

We could form a group and have a meeting at my house!!!

:p Say, 2nd school day of next semister?? PS: bring the kids!!!