Alicia64 Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Two moms. Four kids. Fancy resort. We're staying in a condo. We're both relatively casual, laid back types. Not uptight at all. My experiences hanging out w/ friends for long weekends from when I was much younger were negative. One of us would end up in arguments w/ one of the others. Invariably someone wasn't speaking to someone at the end of the weekend. Of course, I'm choosing better friends these days. Much better. And I've matured considerably. Still, if you're awesome at hanging out w/ friends for several days -- w/ kids in the mix -- could you share your tips? I'd really appreciate it. (This friend is very dear to me.) Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plink Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 I did a 10 day stretch with 3 moms and 9 kids a few weeks ago. My best advice is to plan in time apart from each other. Whether it is every afternoon from 3:00 until dinner, or some other arrangement, every family enjoys having the breathing space to do what they want without having to get approval from the entire group. It also gives you new topics to share about and discuss at dinner ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 Don't correct their kids, unless yours are in the mix. If you say "kids, no running in the house" to me that's different than telling her kid to stop. If you haven't talked about discipline and telling each others kids what to do, that can be talked through before hand so you agree :) A quiet time for all the kids is good, too. Also, agreeing before hand as to what time bedtime is gonna take place. (You may think everyone does 8:30 and she thinks no bedtime at all... etc.) :) Have Fun!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosy Posted July 2, 2011 Share Posted July 2, 2011 I had a lovely camping trip with a friend and her 4 kids (ages 6-13) a couple weeks ago. We are both very easygoing, I think that helped a lot. If everyone involved can be flexible, there are a lot of benefits for vacationing with friends. You might talk up front about what your expectations are--meal sharing, activities (whether you'll want to plan stuff to do, hang out by the pool all day, etc.), whether anyone has health issues or behavior issues that will effect the group, stuff like that. If you think you will need some time with just your family, let her know in advance so she knows it's nothing personal. We had a terrific time on our trip. The kids get along really well and needed very little entertainment or discipline because they were having such a good time together. We took our time waking up, talking, drinking coffee, etc., and the kids entertained themselves until we were ready to head to the beach. There were times when we had different ideas about safety, etc., we just naturally went with whoever was more restrictive. Her daughter needed some alone time at one point, and that was fine, my friend made it clear that it was nothing personal and the daughter was just having a rough morning. I took a nap when I needed one. She took a nap when she needed one. I love my husband and I love vacationing with him, but it was nice to be able to do things differently. We've already decided to make sure it happens again next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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