Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Vacations

For us, it has always seemed like ds misses enough days with bad colds, the flu, one time a minor surgery and so on. I would hate to feel like I'd used up good graces on being out of school with a vacation when a yucky cold might be right around the corner...

My sister sometimes does pull her kids the very last couple days of school for an early summer beach trip, after assessing whether anything very very important is going on and their previous attendance, so that doesn't seem too terrible.

We pull grandson for 4-5 days(combined) in Oct & Nov to go to cattle shows. It's part of our business, and he has an interest in the business with his own cattle now. We take his schoolwork and usually work in some extra educational activities.

I have to say that i also agree it depends on the kid and trip... and the school. While we try to plan family vacations during non-school times, we've been fortunate enough to be able to piggy-back on my husband's work trips a couple of years running and, since those dates are set, we have to live with the fact that we are pulling the boys out of school.

Granted, it's only 1st and pre-school now (was K and daycare last time, so the latter didn't so much matter), and it may be harder as they get older, but for 10 days out of school - the opportunity to see a foreign culture, landmarks and experience different worlds - i see that as a no contest decision. The school has been very supportive and the teachers have been very willing to send homework for work that will be missed(usually gets done on the plane out!) and to request a "presentation" of the trip upon return. that seems like an absolute fair trade, and he (1st grader, which is really the most applicable) usually catches up so quickly when we return anyway, it's definitely worth it.

FWIW.

I am on the fence. I know people who pull their kids 1-2 times per year to go to Disney. Now granted, I'm sure it's 100 times better when school is in session, it's not something that *I* will pull my kids out of school for. I "hear" these same people say, "she/he's only in elementary school", etc.

For me personally, that sets up precedence that school is not as important as fun things. And fun should always come first.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I really believe in the philosophy of "you only live once". And while I will refuse to take my kids out of school each year for Disney, I did pull DS5 (who is ONLY <note sarcasm> in pre-K) out for 2 days this past week because my brother was getting married in Key West. While that is a "fun" thing, it's also a very important family thing. So for the work related and/or educational trips, I might not "turn my nose up". But I don't think that I would do them several times each year, every year, personally.

It is ironic that you ask this question! My DD9 requested a Disney weekend for her bday and it will involve one day away from school. We leave soon. I "thumb my nose" (is this a real phrase) typically at this kind of thing, but it was hard to coordinate my schedule with my husband's - so we are taking them out of school just for a day. I think that it is important for us to have family time away from work and housework, etc., it will hold us parents captive. For more than a day or so to Disney I would not do, I think. But, a trip overseas, or to something else cultural, yes. If we could travel to Japan, my DD's dream, then we would have done that, instead!