She’s Just a Baby!!
I’m having a dilemma. My little Peanut is not a baby anymore. Today, her grandmother asked if we would think about letting Peanut go with her and Peanut’s grandfather to Disney World…this isn’t next door for us…it’s like 1200 miles away. Anyway, they would be gone for a week. They’d take a three hour flight (yes, it would be her first time on an airplane). They are planning to go in January, so I would have a three month old on my hands too. While it’d be nice to have a little break, I don’t think I could go a week without seeing Peanut.
These are her paternal grandparents, and I trust them with her life. She goes with them every Friday for the day to play and loves it. She LOVES her Grandma. She can’t wait to get out the door when Grandma comes to pick her up (I’ve been told that that means she’s very secure, not that she doesn’t like me!). Anyway, I know she’d have fun experiencing all the new things she’d see. But I’m not so sure she could go a week without me either. My fiance thinks that she’d be fine and it’s just me who would be a wreck.
I think she’d miss me after the first day. Grandma suggested trying overnights at their house first to see how she reacted to me not being there. The only time we’ve ever spent the night apart was when I was in the hospital for a week…she was about three months old, so I’m sure she doesn’t remember. She’d be three when they went to Florida, so I’m sure she’d miss me…right??
So, I’m looking for advice. My first reaction was “NO!! She can’t go. She’s my baby!” Maybe if I refuse, they’ll take me!! Just kidding. But I don’t want to deprive her of experiences that she’s not going to get from me. I hate amusement parks, and we dont’ have the money to fly there for a week. So, what would you do? Would you let your three year old go?
May 5th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Ummm…NO!!! I wouldn’t let my SEVEN year old go to Disney World without me, let alone my four year old or even younger!
I don’t care how much you trust them with her, or how much she loves them, I just wouldn’t be comfortable doing it.
Besides, at the age of 3 she’s not going to remember it AT ALL. You’ll have photos to show her and she’ll be all “oh - really? Huh.”
My advice? Save up yourselves and go as a whole family, including grandma and grampa if you want! This way you can bond as a family and have some couple time when you want to be alone together for a bit. Automatic babysitter! And you’ll be able to bring the young one as well. We’re planning to go sometime when Babygirl is over seven and Toad is over 10, so that they remember it (and hopefully when they’re teens as well, so that we can embarass the hell out of them!)
May 5th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
- side note here: I do think it is a good thing to let Peanut spend the night occasionally at her grandparents, so that she can get used to sleeping somewhere else. But NOT disneyworld
May 7th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Hi, I work as a parent educator for a local preschool and have worked with parents and infants through five year olds for nearly 20 years, five of which I spent exclusively as a three’s class teacher (my favorite age!).
I just thought I’d add the observation that your child’s grandparents might consider making this offer when she’s school age. Even with parents, a trip to an exciting theme park is a very big undertaking and can garner lots of surprise reactions. Especially if there is a new sibling in the home, it may not help a three year old feel very secure to go on such a big trip for such a long time. Perhaps something closer to home for a couple days would give grandparents and grandchild a chance to have special fun together and give you a bit of a break. The overnight at their place idea seems like a good, one, too. Getting comfortable with grandma and grandpa and how they do things at their house, and giving them hands on experience of how your daughter operates is good for everyone.
Considering the effort and expense such a great trip is, Disneyworld is usually better enjoyed by older children. It’s really dicey with a preschooler who can’t tolerate very well the boring parts like waiting in lines, and who may find meeting the characters more frightening than fun. Not having the primary parent there to help filter all the feelings they have and instantly read what they are thinking, it would be hard for most three year olds to weather such a trip and extended first time away well and be pleasant company for grandma & grandpa.
I grew up next door to the CA Disneyland and went there a zillion times, but my husband and I chose not to take our own daughter there until she was 8 or 9 (it involved a plane trip to grandma’s, too). Gandma went with us and we all had a lovely time. At that age our daughter had her own interest in going and enjoyed it very much. She left the park saying dreamily, “It’s the place where all your dreams come true!” Plus, she was old enough to remember the trip long afterward with fond memories of time with grandma (and great photos!). I would suggest this sweet offer be saved for a few years more as it won’t be fully enjoyed or remembered by such a young child. Hope these thoughts are helpful as you all decide.
-Kim
May 10th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Thanks!
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
I’m not there yet. My daughter is only 2, but for my opinion: No.
We’d like to take her to Disney when she’s old enough to enjoy the rides and recognize all of the characters. We’d like the anticipation of the trip to be as exciting and the memories as sweet. It’s a lot to ask of a trip, but it’s a really special place to us.
It’s nice of the grandparents to offer and perhaps they could take her on her second trip, closer to school age as a previous poster suggested. And if I were you, if you are really comfortable with your IL’s, I would let her try overnights.