Are My Kids Missing Out?

amother

Sun, Aug 02 2020, 1:17 am

With so much talk about getaways here I’m starting to feel bad for my kids. I’m perfectly content staying home for the entire summer but perhaps my kids would appreciate a change of scenery before the new school year starts. What are the gains of going away with the family for a shabbos or a week? I need some convincing! Kids ages are tots to teens.

amother

Sienna

Sun, Aug 02 2020, 1:19 am

A little bit. It’s amazing for the family to have a change of pace and change of scenery. I never want to go anywhere but once we actually go I see how good it is for them. We go away maybe once or twice a year.

amother

Sun, Aug 02 2020, 1:31 am

Thanks. I really need to hear this because I feel like I should do it for them. Come September and it’s over. I’m just so not a goer. Hate packing and traveling. But I’ll try to force myself to plan something for the kids sake.

amother

Sun, Aug 02 2020, 1:40 am

amother [ Seashell ] wrote:

Ask your kids!

They are not complaining or asking for it. Doesn’t mean they wouldn’t benefit from it.
Of course if I’ll ask them they’ll say yes they want. I would only ask if I’m ready to do something.

amother

Silver

Sun, Aug 02 2020, 1:48 am

We usually do a family road trip at the end of the summer between camp and school. Every few years we do something more exciting that involves plane travel. This year we're staying home because we don't want to take any chances. We don't want to get sick ourselves and we don't want to risk bringing anything home to our community or families. Our kids are either old enough to understand or young enough not to care.

amother

Seashell

Sun, Aug 02 2020, 2:18 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

They are not complaining or asking for it. Doesn’t mean they wouldn’t benefit from it.
Of course if I’ll ask them they’ll say yes they want. I would only ask if I’m ready to do something.

Sorry I wasn’t clear:
We do this every summer so my children know the joys. This year they refused to go! They’re in a program and don’t want to miss even one day!

amother

Seashell

Sun, Aug 02 2020, 2:18 am

amother [ Silver ] wrote:

That’s a great time to go!

amother

Ginger

Sun, Aug 02 2020, 2:34 am

My mother sent us to sleepaway camp every year bc we lived out of town. We also went every yeshiva cation to family friends in Florida and once we even went to Disney. But those were kind of given ie what else would she do with us, living with no community and no friends nearby.

What stands out in my memory is 3 family trips we took to different states, nothing crazy, 3 hour drive max and maybe 1-2 hotel nights. That's what comes to mind if I think of a family trip - not even Disney- because those were out of routine for us.

amother

Floralwhite

Sun, Aug 02 2020, 6:54 am

You sound like my mom!
She also really doesn't like traveling, but pushes herself to do it very occasionally for the kids. Honestly, it makes the long school year easier to get thru if you know summer will be more exciting. Also, my parents used to be busy with work all the time and those 3 days a year was the only time I've ever seen them relax. (They didn't do it when I was younger, and I remember always saying I hope I don't grow up to have to work so full time. They started when I was a teen and my outlook changed a lot. )
My best memories are from our tubing down the river in VT. Our oven plan flopped, which meant very very little shabbos food, but the memories we created together, the laughs we had, the games we played... wow.
Side note: my parents do go to my grandma upstate every summer for one shabbos, but since it's not really vacation it's a Friday afternoon to motzei shabbos visit as not to miss work. I didn't like this at all, because the stress of arriving to the zman and leaving at the zman to get back, and also because it isn't really a change of scenery. It may still be better than always being home.
Luckily for my kids, my husband and I are more adventurous and we usually go away plenty. We're home this year though.

amother

Azure

Sun, Aug 02 2020, 6:58 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

This year is different. Covid is still around. Many people are cancelling vacations. This year, if your kids are happy, they may well be safer at home and you can still do day trips. We postponed our vacation until next year as we did not want to risk plane travel.

Proudly Right

Sun, Aug 02 2020, 11:00 am

I lost my father when I was 10. Obviously my memories of him aren't the same as my older siblings, but here's which memories I remember most and will forever cherish:
My father a"h was an avid traveler and all around fun and happy person. Loved to always travel with the family etc.. I honestly don't remember anything from him day to day. But I will always remember the family trips we took as a family..
So, yes. I really believe in creating family memories through family trips..

Another mom

Sun, Aug 02 2020, 5:15 pm

Proudly Right wrote:

So so true! We have BH a bunch of kids and grandkids and it's not so cheap to rent a place for 2 nights- But I feel like I'm making memories & I'm "buying" something that will last!!! IYH! Think of it as an investment.