Navigating childcare during trip

[Anonymous]

Looking for advise on how to navigate a tricky childcare situation.

My husband and I would like to attend a friend’s birthday party out of town and it’s an adults only trip. While I’m thankful my parents always offer to babysit for us, we’ve had issues in the past with reliability and judgement and we aren’t totally comfortable with them being responsible for 3-4 whole days including meals and picking up/getting the kids to school.

We wish we could find a nanny for the long weekend but my parents would be VERY hurt if they knew we hired someone else.

Suggestions on how to navigate this?

[Anonymous]

It's silly for an adult to care so much about a birthday party that it involves leaving their children for several days without a way to get to school.

[Anonymous]

Why do you need to tell your parents at all that you're going out of town? Just ... don't.

Agree with 17:43. Assuming this is some extra close friend who is dying of or almost died of cancer or something.

[Anonymous]

Sorry friend, wish we could make it, but no child care.

[Anonymous]

Could you maybe have a Nanny come in & watch the kids part of the time?

This will allow your parents a respite.

However I do not see how you can have a Nanny watch them an entire wknd w/o your parents finding out as your kids may tell them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry friend, wish we could make it, but no child care.

I think you mean sorry friend, wish we could make it but we’d rather miss out on a trip we’d like to take than have an uncomfortable conversation with our parents/inlaws.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could you maybe have a Nanny come in & watch the kids part of the time?

This will allow your parents a respite.

However I do not see how you can have a Nanny watch them an entire wknd w/o your parents finding out as your kids may tell them.

Yes, split it between nanny and grandparents. If disagreements are over cookies as afternoon snack or not taking a daily bath let that go. Could a playdate or sleepover be set up to give the grandparents a break too.