OK, maybe I am nuts!

[gotsand]

Go and have fun. I have taken several trips over the years with my friends. My children have always encouraged me to go and have a blast.

My children have went on many trips with friends over the years also. We enjoy all of our trips together, but when seperate trips come around we encourage each other to go.

 

My daughter is going to Key West without me this year and my son is going to Mexico. Kids grow up fast, soon you will be the one telling them go, go , go and have fun.:)

[BaileyandBella]

I took a 4 day cruise with my mom and my sister. Yes, it was fun, but for the most part I was miserable. :(

 

I think it was hard being away from my kids AND my husband. I also felt very guilty for spending the money.

[KC_fn]

First, although I understand it, please try to set aside the guilt. You obviously are a caring and concerned mom, and they will not suffer any emotional damage whatsoever if you go. In fact, they will probably look on the week as something of an adventure; any break in the routine is always exciting for kids. And think of the reunion! They'll talk your ears off!

 

I'm not going to tell you to just have fun, and forget your feelings; that's unrealistic. You will feel sad at the parting, and there will be twinges of missing them all week. That's OK. Tell your friends in advance that you might have some moments like that, and ask them to just love you up until it has passed. And it will. Allowing yourself to shed a few tears when you feel them will help it pass even faster.

 

You might also look on this as preparation for the teen years which are just beginning in your house. The girls are going to be spending more and more time away from you over the next few years, and will begin to develop their individual interests, activities, and friends. Normal and healthy development means that their focus gradually begins moving away from Mom and toward the bigger world. Healthy for them, but hard for us -- and sad to say, sometime in the early teens, we stop being the center of their universe. This cruise might be a chance for all of you to get a little taste of the not-too-distant future, when you won't be together as much as you've been in the past.

 

Go if you want to, with the knowledge that your girls will be fine.

[chasekenslee]

Think of the children!!!! Depending on who they are staying with, think of the bonding time they will have that week you are gone. My husband and I take 1 week a year for just us. During that week our 2 children stay with each of our parents (they split the week). My oldest is now 7 and is already asking when she gets to spend her week with mamaw/papaw and mimi/poppa. The kids have a blast because they are totally spoiled rotten while we are gone. The grandparents love it because they get time with their only grandchildren without mom/dad lurking around. On our first trip, when we returned I expected my kids to be thrilled to see us- they cried not wanting to leave their grandparents house :eek: While I miss them terribly when we are gone, they are spending some very quality time with people that love them very much!! Plus, mom/dad get to rekindle their relationship, which provides for a very happy home upon returning. It is a win/win for parents and kids.

So... my opinion is GO. Enjoy your time with friends. Relax. Sleep In. Take naps. Be who you are. Then when you return, you are ready to be Super Mom once again!!! ;)

[cruiser3175]

Thanks for the opinions. They were awesome.

 

I am ELATED to announce that I booked the cruise! I am thrilled and KNOW I made the right decision. My kids will be fine, I know, and seem to be looking forward to it. I'm sure I will get sad and miss my "babies" but I am extremely excited to see what I will decide to do with my time on the cruise. It seems surreal to me. And like a unimaginable adventure!

 

Bon Voyage in 20 days!!! :D

[tekdiva]

Just looking for some soothing words...nothing more.

 

Okay this will not be soothing but....

 

YOU ARE NUTS!!!!! A vacation without kids!?!?!?! They would go without you and not think anything of it (maybe not now but in the future).

 

Go enjoy yourself, they will get over it!

 

Incidently, I am taking my first cruise in May. My daughter wants to go but since I am going to a friends wedding beforehand, I will be gone too long and don't want her to be out of school that long. However, she TOLD me that she is going on the next cruise with me! :eek: So we are going to the Bahamas in December....

[tekdiva]

Now, if you're just going solo...then what fun is that?

 

Lots of fun....you can do what you want when you want how you want. Meet new people. Have lots more room in your room!

 

I will confirm all of this when I get back from my cruise in May. But I have already had great time just planning everything the way I want to without consulting anyone. For instance, for my transfer to the ship I decided to take a shuttle from Anchorage to Whittier that will get me there 3 hours before I can embark with no storage for my luggage. If I had someone else to consult I would probably have to pay more and get there later because I may be with someone who doesn't want to tote luggage for 3 hours or "camp out" at the port!

[Canuker]

I believe the experts call it separation anxiety.

 

Curiously, other animals do all they can to herald the day when their offspring will leave the nest/burrow/whatever.

The human animal (especially the female of the species) on the other hand, seems to be just the opposite.

No wonder there are so many boomers with adult children still living at home. You can't blame the kids!

[lady_cruiser]

Go, enjoy yourself and when you start feeling guilty just remember how nice it will be to see the surprise look on your children's face when you show them the photos of all the wonderful places you visited.

 

You can start a diary of each of your kids. Write in each of their journal's every night telling them what you did that day. It would be someone you met on the ship that told you an interesting story or an island child, their own age, that you stopped to talk to. Just make sure to make in personal to fit each of your kids because you know they will compare notes.

[TifTif]

GO FOR IT! If you are comfortable with the sitter it will make it that much easier. We travel every year with our kids July, and October.(we take them out of school) So in March we take an adult vacation. Even though I know my kids are well taken care of I still cry when we leave, and when I board the plane. After that I am fine. Our last vacation last month my son got sick 2 days before we left, and my mom reassured me he would be fine. Needless to say this was the toughest time for me. I considered cancelling, and even questioned my adult vacations. He was fine 2 days after I left, and everything turned out o.k. afterall. Good luck! You will come back refreshed, after 13 years you deserve it. A mom needs a life to.:D

[BeachBumMama]

Thanks for the opinions. They were awesome.

 

I am ELATED to announce that I booked the cruise! I am thrilled and KNOW I made the right decision. My kids will be fine, I know, and seem to be looking forward to it. I'm sure I will get sad and miss my "babies" but I am extremely excited to see what I will decide to do with my time on the cruise. It seems surreal to me. And like a unimaginable adventure!

 

Bon Voyage in 20 days!!! :D

GREAT FOR YOU! I haven't been back in awhile so I missed your post, but glad you decided you'll go and have a grand time!:D

[Janan]

My wife and I have 2 special needs children and we go cruising once a year....ALONE!!! I love my children but we need time to decompress and recharge. I made the mistake early on thinking my situation was more challenging than "regular" parents...It's not, it's just different I thought that I might bypass the whole teenage thing (because of my children's developmental age) I was wrong!!

 

What I can tell you...is that you're child needs you, all of you and not the stressed out version!

My wife and I make sure the children are very well taken care of by someone we trust and love the Kids.

 

Now they do have internet capabilities on board so if you like you can communicate with them via e-mail while you're gone (and ease your mind).

 

You do need to take care of yourself...have some alone time.....be a person rather than a parent...so you can continue to do your best for your children in the future.

 

Are you being selfish...I don't think so, and as long as you provide a safety net for your kids while you're away I say go for it!!

 

Andy

[Lady Chew]

I also have a special needs child ... with a severe handicap, who is now 27 years old, chronologically anyway. Two boys now 25 & 21.

 

Over those years, we have taken vacations with the kids, without the kids, hubby & I have each taken solo trips ... and we've enjoyed them all. Missed the kids, yes, but not much and never felt guilty about leaving them with loving relatives & wonderful sitters. We've had fantastic trips with them, and fantastic trips without them. Vacations with the kids are totally different than without, even if you go to the same place!

 

Sometimes the trips were to unwind, relax on the beach, do nothing, others very intensive sightseeing or activities ...

 

Have a great time going solo, make some wonderful memories to share with your kids when you get back!