In a cabin with your kids, do you...

[shirleygr]

Shirley, your story is very touching....reminds me sooooo much of my own parents. Mine also never expressed any physical attraction (at least not in public) but when my father died, it was like my mother was broken. I had never seen such love.

 

My husband on the other hand...he's the one advocating the tongs above...and I have a very openly affectionate relationship. I've never really thought about whether it was because my own parents were so conservative and we were just rebellious or what. Very cool perspective. TFS.

DH and I are openly affectionate as well. I think it is important for the kids to see that as much as I think it is important for them to be cuddled and hugged. It gives them a sense of security. My 17 yo son talks to me very openly about what is going on between him and his gf, asking my advice and actually listening to what I have to say. I am so thankful he feels comfortable communicating with me about most everything going on in his life. I know many parents never get to share in that.

As for kitchen utensils, well, I just had to laugh. I went to culinary school. ;) We have a wooden bread board, you know, the kind with a handle, that I threaten to use as a paddle on dh when he "misbehaves." :D But I've not considered tongs before. Hmmm . . .

[suznf]

And kids come a-knockin'....

Simple answer if caught:

"Mommy was choking and Daddy was doing the Heimlich..." or vise versa depending on the ummm position :rolleyes: you are caught in.

 

(submitted by my DH)

[fleckle]

If we couldn't put the kids in a separate cabin, we wouldn't take them along on the cruise at all. Even aside from the sex issues, it just wouldn't be very relaxing or enjoyable if we needed to have an entire family crammed together in one cabin with no privacy, all sharing one small bathroom and limited storage space for a week or more. Others may enjoy that much togetherness, but it's not our idea of the way to spend a vacation.

 

Why do you think grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins were invented?

You can trade off and take care of their kids or pets when they go on vacation.

 

Or, if you feel you really must take them along on the cruise, put all those strongwilled kids in another cabin with the horny grandparents.

Important: Make sure they are on another deck, on the opposite end of the ship. Then you can pretend you don't know any of them.

 

Still haven't figured out whether the kitchen utensils should go in your cabin or theirs though.

[Nliedel]

I do want to point out that not everyone has the option of Grandparents, Aunts etc. I know we don't. Grandma and Grandpa will take two of the four at a time and that's a lot for people as elderly as they are. My Father would not watch me as a child, let alone my kids. He is not a kid person and while I love him my mothers statements that perhaps he should have forgone children are apt indeed. I had a sister in law that would but last year she had the worlds most HORRIFIC pregnancy, followed by the WORLDS MOST FABULOUS CHILD! She actually told me the other day that she cannot help me with the kids portion of the family reunion this year (it's our turn and I am the daughter in law yet am doing most of the work on the kids part) because her son will be walking then and she will be too busy. At that point two of my four will be toddlers but *I* can do it. Grrr..

 

The other aunt? I love her but she gets very frustrated babysitting and I came home once to find her chasing my son around the house trying to spank him for yelling too loud. I am not going to start a spanking argument here but I will say that if the parents spank then they should be the ones to do it. If you are watching my kids and they get out of control call me. I can administer the removal of the Playstation from anywhere in the world effectivly.

[scher]

If we couldn't put the kids in a separate cabin, we wouldn't take them along on the cruise at all. Even aside from the sex issues, it just wouldn't be very relaxing or enjoyable if we needed to have an entire family crammed together in one cabin with no privacy, all sharing one small bathroom and limited storage space for a week or more. Others may enjoy that much togetherness, but it's not our idea of the way to spend a vacation.

 

Why do you think grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins were invented?

You can trade off and take care of their kids or pets when they go on vacation.

 

Or, if you feel you really must take them along on the cruise, put all those strongwilled kids in another cabin with the horny grandparents.

Important: Make sure they are on another deck, on the opposite end of the ship. Then you can pretend you don't know any of them.

 

Still haven't figured out whether the kitchen utensils should go in your cabin or theirs though.

Vacations are a wonderful luxury and not just adults can enjoy and benifit from them. That's why cruises are such a great family vacation. Plenty of alone time for parents (kids love to go the adventure club) and plenty of family time if wanted. I believe that my kids also have many stresses in there lives also. They jmay not seem so stressful to you but they do have there own. And I think it is to their advantage to see different places all over the world. It gives them a touch more class, knowledge and understanding of all around them. I hope I don't sound like I am preaching but I am very happy and fortunate to be able to afford the luxury of being able to take my children along with me even if it means being crammed into a small cabin ( which you dont spend that much time in anyway0

[scher]

here is the thread everyone thinks is so funny this is a bump

[BooBooMonkey]

I have been following this thread and finally decided I can't keep this one to myself any longer...

 

DH and I were selected as the "middle" age couple on the newlywed/not-so-newlywed game in Nov. 2001. One of the questions was, "Complete the following sentence: Whoopie has never been quite the same since..."

I, of course mentioned some romantic evening from our early days. DH's answer, much to my horror (but to the audience's great delight) was "since we did it last night in our stateroom bathroom!" :eek: Despite this and one other question we did not match, we did win the game! :D It was really funny in retrospect, but quite embarrasing at the time. We all know how small those bathrooms are. We did have 3 kids with us in the same cabin. They were like 10, 9 and 5 at the time, and we did not have much choice! Plus at that age, they still went to bed at a decent hour and slept like rocks.

 

We did cruise again last Nov. with the same setup and it was much more difficult as the oldest two are now 15 and 13. The older kids are a bit harder to fool...you know they would know something is going on in that bathroom! :rolleyes: Plus, my older two this time did not spend too much time in the kids program. They ALWAYS seemed to be coming back to the room for one reason or another. :mad: Our 9-yos spent a majority of his time in Camp Carnival and would actually get mad when we came to pick him up. I think it depends on the age of your kids. I have no problem with being creative with time of the day, but when you can't count on them staying at the kids program (and the weather was bad), it makes things tricky!

 

We'll probably get 2 rooms or leave the kids with grandma next time.

[cruisin from florida]

We cruised without the kids until they were teenagers and then we got them their own cabin. We did other family vacations - camping in the mountains, skiing, visiting relatives, boating, etc.with the boys when they were younger, but we have never cruised with our boys in our cabin. That was and is couple time for us.

 

Once they were a bit older we did our couples cruises at the same time as their church or boy scout camps. Everyone had a great time.

 

I'm just worried that now they have caught the cruise bug, they may never let us cruise without them again!

 

Seriously, I have always felt a bit sorry for the harried looking mommies who are dealing with little ones on a cruise vacation. It's a lot of money to pay to not be able to really relax.

 

But that's just us! Obviously lots of folks cruise with little ones and love it. More power to them.

[Nliedel]

I have been following this thread and finally decided I can't keep this one to myself any longer...

 

quote]

 

Oo the love and marriage game! How much fun is that? I would love to do it but poor Gene would just die a thousand deaths! He is so funny tho.

 

You know what about the 13 and 15 year olds? Send em to the teen disco and tell them you are going to fool around. After the "ewwwwws" they will probably give you peace for an hour at least :p

[mollyeilis]

Gilrs can sit quietly and amuse themselves, boys are totally incapable of doing so, must make noise, break things, be the center of the universe. And girls give much longer, more detailed responses to your questions:

 

Mom: "What did you do at school today honey"?

Son: 1."Nothing". 2. "I don't know". 3. "I don't remember". 4. "Stuff".

 

I'm thinking I was a boy, and my son must be a girl, because between the two of us we're the complete opposite of what you're describing.

 

Oh, and my brother could amuse himself quietly for days at a time, without speaking. Still can. Luckily he married a woman who doesn't mind being alone even while in the same room with him...

 

 

**************

As for the very original question, we don't b/c The Boy sleeps lightly (he's 21 months), but we would if he were a deeper sleeper. We have a family bed (as do quite a lot of world cultures-Americans are a bit off the norm) so it would be natural to be together on a cruise. However, due to his light sleeping, we have to be a bit more creative than just being in a bedroom. I think most families with family beds get to know the rest of their homes a bit better than those who have their children in other rooms...

 

I agree with mrstrod, though.

 

I get that this thread is funny, and it is somewhat amusing, but as a cross section of what people think, it's makin' me kind of sad. Nudity and sex aren't traumatic to quite a lot of people in the world, and I know lots of people who weren't traumatized by seeing or knowing what was going on.

 

Man, I remember my long-widowed grandmother going ON about Don Ameche (from Cocoon) one day, talking about how sexy he was and such....:)

[mrstrod]

Man, I remember my long-widowed grandmother going ON about Don Ameche (from Cocoon) one day, talking about how sexy he was and such....:)

 

HeeHee -Whenever my granma would see Sean Connery she used to say "If I were just a few years younger........." She never finishing though so I always figured she meant she cook him up some lasagna.;)

[Leejnd4]

HeeHee -Whenever my granma would see Sean Connery she used to say "If I were just a few years younger........." She never finishing though so I always figured she meant she cook him up some lasagna.;)

Using various kitchen implements, I presume.

[dino76]

We've often traveled with our kids all over sharing a room - a queen for us and a queen for the 2 boys. We have "done it" with them in the next bed (verrrrrry quietly). It was exhilirating to get by with it. They were a lot younger and deep sleepers and the room was very, very dark. We have also been to a museum/old west set up where we "fooled" around a little bit in different buildings while our kids ran on ahead to other buildings. It was a fabulous time. These times didn't happen very often, but when they did, it was some of the best "fun" we ever had. We are not exhibitionists, but vacations are also meant for some "whoopie". Take advantage of the situations as best they come!!!!!

[Inshape]

if money is a concern and you must go in one cabin, there are plenty of times kids are in the camps...and don't let them sign themselves out...or if they can, take away the key from them and tell them you will meet them in the room by... whatever time to give you time! That way no one will be walking in on you.

 

Now if money is not a big concern...the difference between getting the kids a inside cabin is usually under $500.00 for the both kids. Now this to me is worth it...The extra bathroom, the privacy and the room....

[taraandsean]

we drop the kid off at her activities and run back to the room as fast as we can!!!!! or on the balcony after everyone is asleep is a good one also. maybe they should rent rooms by the hour.lol or in the hot tub after dark or in the ocean at port or in the bathroom or in the shower or on the lido deck at 1:00 in the morning or in the mens steam room after it says its closed or on the heli pad on the front of the ship after dark, they are all reliable and tested places.

[kenandlaura06]

If we couldn't put the kids in a separate cabin, we wouldn't take them along on the cruise at all. Even aside from the sex issues, it just wouldn't be very relaxing or enjoyable if we needed to have an entire family crammed together in one cabin with no privacy, all sharing one small bathroom and limited storage space for a week or more. Others may enjoy that much togetherness, but it's not our idea of the way to spend a vacation.

 

Why do you think grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins were invented?

You can trade off and take care of their kids or pets when they go on vacation.

 

Or, if you feel you really must take them along on the cruise, put all those strongwilled kids in another cabin with the horny grandparents.

Important: Make sure they are on another deck, on the opposite end of the ship. Then you can pretend you don't know any of them.

 

Still haven't figured out whether the kitchen utensils should go in your cabin or theirs though.

 

I grew up in a small house with one bathroom, so we never knew it any other way and always shared a room when we were on vacation. I don't know if we would have been able to travel as much as we did if we hadn't shared a room. It really wasn't an issue at all--I guess it is all what you are used to.

[syndyj]

in the hot tub after dark or in the ocean at port..... or on the lido deck at 1:00 in the morning or in the mens steam room after it says its closed or on the heli pad on the front of the ship after dark, they are all reliable and tested places.

 

Wow, can I ask who has tested these places and how come no one has been busted !!!!? :D

[stargate fan]

OH MY G-D! You got me laughing so hard that my boys had to close the door to the computer room. (Apparently I am disturbing their 24 marathon.)

This is the funniest thing I have ever read!

 

Um...I assume you meant "thongs"...then again, you might have meant tongs, which I normally associate with picking up things such as chicken legs or hot dogs off the grill. On the other hand, hey if you enjoy hot monkey sex with kitchen utensils, more power to ya! I have a garlic press which is looking pretty good right about now...then again, there's that wisk... :D

[ORANGEinINDY]

Um...I assume you meant "thongs"...then again, you might have meant tongs,.....

"Thongs??"... You're welcome.

Kitchen utensiles always reminds me of "Stripes" w/ Bill Murry, using the spatula with the girl sitting on the stove....

I'm going to need more luggage now... so much to pack.

[Merion_Mom]

HeeHee -Whenever my granma would see Sean Connery she used to say "If I were just a few years younger........." She never finishing though so I always figured she meant she cook him up some lasagna.

 

Using various kitchen implements, I presume.

hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee

[Leejnd4]

"Thongs??"... You're welcome.

Kitchen utensiles always reminds me of "Stripes" w/ Bill Murry, using the spatula with the girl sitting on the stove....

I'm going to need more luggage now... so much to pack.

Oh RIGHT, the spatula! How could I forget. Yep, looks like I'm going to need another suitcase, because we sure wouldn't want to leave behind the food processor (we do like to mix it up). Oh and lets not forget the meat thermometer. Temperature is so important in these matters.

[Merion_Mom]

TONGS, LeeAnne, don't forget the TONGS! And, from the sound of your posts, POTHOLDERS! (ok, now someone take THAT ONE and run with it! ;))

[ORANGEinINDY]

Oh... let's see... gotta pack the turkey baster, corkscrew, rolling pin, Wesson oil and a fondue pot (melted chocolate!)

Any suggestions on how to hang a chandelier?:eek:

[biensur]

Just an FYI, the cameras on the bridge have a visual of most of the balconies, so the one time we cruised with kids in our cabin, we had to be a bit more resourceful.

 

Something about a sink/counter coming loose in a very remote single user bathroom persuaded us to get two cabins each time we sail.....

[Nliedel]

Oh RIGHT, the spatula! How could I forget. Yep, looks like I'm going to need another suitcase, because we sure wouldn't want to leave behind the food processor (we do like to mix it up). Oh and lets not forget the meat thermometer. Temperature is so important in these matters.

 

Duct tape, you cannot forget the DUCT TAPE!