This may be something her preschool class is talking about right now. My 4yo's daycare class is doing a unit on summer vacation, beach, etc. and those words come up a lot.

Anonymous wrote:I agree with PP who questions what she means and why at 4 this is something she's noticing or talking about. At 4 is she's gone in 4 vacations and maybe remembers 2 of them, who is telling her she doesn't vacation enough? At that age vacation was exciting to me because we got to bring sugary cereal in a cooler and swim in a hotel pool.

Reinforce your families expectations when she talks about it "we'll plan a nice trip for next summer."

Meanwhile, maybe she does enjoy adventures and new activities. Figure out what those activities are and plan fun day trips - hiking with a picnic, museum with a stop for ice cream, local pool etc.

By 4 my kids were well aware of what friends at school were doing in terms of travel. People in this area seem to travel a LOT and kids come to school with stories about the Bahamas and Disney and Europe and everywhere else.

I agree with PP who questions what she means and why at 4 this is something she's noticing or talking about. At 4 is she's gone in 4 vacations and maybe remembers 2 of them, who is telling her she doesn't vacation enough? At that age vacation was exciting to me because we got to bring sugary cereal in a cooler and swim in a hotel pool.

Reinforce your families expectations when she talks about it "we'll plan a nice trip for next summer."

Meanwhile, maybe she does enjoy adventures and new activities. Figure out what those activities are and plan fun day trips - hiking with a picnic, museum with a stop for ice cream, local pool etc.

Sandy Point is a day trip beach with all the beachy stuff she’s probably seen on shows like Bluey and Daniel Tiger.

I do think you guys need to make more vacation time, even if staycation/weekend away tier trips. One week a year is grim.

Anonymous wrote:We are 2 working parent parents. During school year, 1 kid go to school with before care/aftercare and 1 kid go to daycare. They go to camps where it is spring break/winter break. During summertime, they both go to summer camps. We only do vacation 1 week/year. We did road trips last year to PA. This year, we will fly to Boston. My younger girl talks about vacation all the time, and is it bad that we only do vacation once a year? On weekend, they sometimes go to activities (dance, soccer etc), and I sometimes take them to indoor/outdoor playground, birthday parties, festivals, pool, little hike etc.

She is 4. We have not gone to any beach yet because it is so far away. No one can swim except DH, and he does not like beach ideas. All grandparents are local, and there's no needs to drive far away/fly to visit them. I tell her that school/camp is more fun than working, but she is too young to understand. Normally, do families often plan mini vacation or long weekend getaway during the year? Any suggestions feel like vacation that could satisfy her wishes? We live in Montgomery county.

To your question, there's no "normally" but depends on your SES and social circle. Among my friends, neighbors and colleagues the answer is yes. Somr vacations are expensive but there are a lot of ways to do things cheaply (drive instead of fly, stay at a cheaper hotel away from the actually beach or attraction, etc).

Do you have other time off with them (staycation) at home or are you always working?

The Chesapeake Bay beaches and parts of Shenandoah are both easy day trips that feel vacation-y. Some of the PA and VA amusement parks as well.

More broadly, in terms of not taking more vacations, is this a financial issue to an issue of not getting much vacation time at work / schedules don't align / leave is used up on random school days off and other things?

It sounds like you prioritize work over family time. (Could be out of necessity - no judgment). Carve out some quality time just for her with each of you - a couple hour on a Saturday to the library, pool, or park. It sounds like she just wants to bond more and I would initiate that individually to make her feel special. Carve out a few hours a week for each of you to take one kid and do what they want, then switch the next. It doesn't have to be expensive or far; the point it to make her happy and calm in thei time that is just hers.

I would plan an overnight trip to a Maryland state park. Stay in a hotel with a breakfast waffle buffet and enjoy them flipping out with joy over it.

If you're not able to swim yourself, that's something you might want to work on.

Four years old is pretty young to be talking about a concept like vacation, when it isn't something your family really does. Can you talk to her more about what she means by vacation? Maybe her BFF is always playing "vacation" at school and they go and see Ariel or Belle at Disney or something, and that's what your daughter thinks a "vacation" means?

It’s great that she likes vacation! We generally do three weeklong trips, and 3-4 long weekends away. Different people have different budgets and priorities- you do what works for you.

I grew up doing very few vacations and I was jealous of my friends, though I wasn't aware of it at age 4.

I agree with doing local trips more. One that we love is Gunpowder state park (hammerman entrance), it's a little beach, calm waters. Get them puddle jumpers and some sand toys bring food and water and you can spend the day there.

Do more vacation-y/staycation-y things on the weekends when you can. “Vacation” to Baltimore to go to the aquarium, “vacation” to Annapolis to see the waterfront, the stores and the restaurants. If you can, do more long weekends that aren’t too taxing, like Busch Gardens.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe plan some day trips and call them "vacation days". Port Discovery or the Aquarium in Baltimore. Annapolis. DC Museums. Camping is also an option.

+1
Sounds like she just wants more family time, seeing new things

Maybe plan some day trips and call them "vacation days". Port Discovery or the Aquarium in Baltimore. Annapolis. DC Museums. Camping is also an option.

We are 2 working parent parents. During school year, 1 kid go to school with before care/aftercare and 1 kid go to daycare. They go to camps where it is spring break/winter break. During summertime, they both go to summer camps. We only do vacation 1 week/year. We did road trips last year to PA. This year, we will fly to Boston. My younger girl talks about vacation all the time, and is it bad that we only do vacation once a year? On weekend, they sometimes go to activities (dance, soccer etc), and I sometimes take them to indoor/outdoor playground, birthday parties, festivals, pool, little hike etc.

She is 4. We have not gone to any beach yet because it is so far away. No one can swim except DH, and he does not like beach ideas. All grandparents are local, and there's no needs to drive far away/fly to visit them. I tell her that school/camp is more fun than working, but she is too young to understand. Normally, do families often plan mini vacation or long weekend getaway during the year? Any suggestions feel like vacation that could satisfy her wishes? We live in Montgomery county.