Ask:
My husband & I are going on our first long trip without our 2 kids. We will be gone for 7 nights. Our kids will be staying at his parents' house, and they are both recently retired. So they will be home with the kids all day. Our kids are 4 & 6, and they both will be on spring break when we are gone so they can stay the whole time at Grandma & Grandpa's. We usually always take the kids with us, but this is a business trip for my husband and there are events we have to attend every night from 5pm till ???? We didn't feel comfortable bringing them along and leaving them with strange babysitters at the resort, so we decided to have them stay with their grandparents. Now that the trip is getting close, the kids are getting really sad...and then I get really sad!!! I am trying not to cry in front of them, when I am really just crying inside & holding back the tears. Can anyone give me some tips on things that worked for them when they went on long trips without their kids? Thanks for the help!
Answer:
My husband and I have never gone away together but at least once a year, we (seperately) take trips with our friends. One of the things we always do and my girls really enjoy and look forward to is we leave gifts. Usually, we do a bag for each day. It will have several things in it and when they are missing us they can have something out of it. I fill it with small candies (pez, jelly bellies in a dispenser, fun kind of stuff), all kinds of craft stuff (sticker albums, stencils, paints, etc), books, etc. You can find that kind of stuff at the dollar store. We always call at least once a day. When I've been a cruise and didn't have access to a phone, I sent emails and they enjoyed getting their own emails. You could even send e-cards or regular cards. Down play them missing you and up sell what fun things they'll get to do with their grandparents. Maybe a movie, a trip to a zoo, try to set up some activities for them to look forward to.