Taking a Short Trip Just the Two of Us—Is That Okay?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Leaving a 14 year old with two other teens for a week is the crazy part of this. Not the trip generally.

I have a 14 year old and I agree.

[Anonymous]

Go and have fun! It sounds like you have raised kids who can be responsible and independent and now you can real the rewards. It is a week in the summer.

You are getting responses from people whose teens aren’t allowed to use the stove or cross the street. You know your kids.

[Anonymous]

I often think the name for parents who leave teens alone is…..new grandparents. But aside from sex while parents are away, siblings tend to get into squabbles and call and disturb parents. One night only unless there is adult supervision.

[Anonymous]

This is an absurdly bad idea. OP says they are good kids, and I assume they are, but good kids can get themselves in bad situations and that's what the issue is. Three teenagers left alone for six days means countless other teenagers, some of whom might not be so good, are going to catch wind of this. Presumably the rule will be "no visitors," but will the 18 year old be expected to enforce that? Or if the rule is "no visitors except for X, Y & Z" and if that's the rule does that fall on the 18 year old? And does OP feel any obligation to inform the parents of the kids' best/better friends that the house will be empty?

I view what OP is contemplating as a breach of the social contract. It's just not the right thing to do.

We went away once, for a long weekend, when our "good" youngest daughter was a high school junior or senior (I can't remember which). But we only did it because we had a very good family friend who came over every night to check on her. There's no way we would have done it with more than one kid in the house.

[Anonymous]

6 days is a short trip?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel very sad for you that you are questioning this trip. I took my first out-of-town trip with DH when my oldest kid was 1 1/2. It was a long weekend away to the Bahamas, and it was just what we needed. We continued to do small trips regularly, every 2 to 3 years. My relationship with my spouse is a priority. My kids are now 21 and 26, and there was never a negative consequence.

+1 - I’m shocked to see how many helicopter parents there are on this site.

-100. Did you actually read the whole OP? There is NO supervision of their children while mom and dad are away for a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s depend on your kids and their maturity.

My parents would be more than fine with me and my siblings at these ages.

I was the eldest of 4 kids youngest and I was 6 years apart. I flow international flights a lone at age 10 ( study aboard and come home by myself a couple times a year). By 14 parents are fine having me took younger siblings 8 and 10 in 26 hours flights 2 connections and pretty much took care of them when we were I. Foreign country the whole summer then.

My siblings are pretty easy going. They listened to me as well. So it worked very well for my parents.


In summary. It’s not extream to do what you wanted to do but depends a lot on your kids maturity and temperament.

You sound illiterate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel very sad for you that you are questioning this trip. I took my first out-of-town trip with DH when my oldest kid was 1 1/2. It was a long weekend away to the Bahamas, and it was just what we needed. We continued to do small trips regularly, every 2 to 3 years. My relationship with my spouse is a priority. My kids are now 21 and 26, and there was never a negative consequence.

Did you leave your 1.5yo alone? If not, your point is irrelevant. That's what everyone is reacting to, not the parents going away. And that of course teens are saying "just go, no babysitter" for obvious reasons.

Also OP has clearly made up her mind, no idea why she posted. Even saying "short" in the title re 6 days - contrast to your example of a long wknd.

+1. Did pp miss that the kids are being left alone? No one would object if they were staying with friends or family.

The issue isn’t that the parents are leaving. It’s that they are leaving the kids for nearly a week with zero supervision.

[Anonymous]

Other peoples teens will get alcohol poisoning at your house. This will become a week long party and the cops will get involved at some point. Don't underestimate what "good" teens are capable of if left unsupervised for a week in the summer. They are still teens without fully formed brains and once word gets out, other teens will descend. You don't just have one you are expecting to follow the rules here, you have 3. Not all 3 will stay in line.