Anonymous wrote:I think your group of friends sounds super fun and I love the idea of a group trip somewhere nice to celebrate a milestone birthday.

But I wouldn't miss my only kid's first day/week of kindergarten. I just wouldn't.

If you guys have an entire year to plan this, I would ask if people could do later in September. If they can't, I would skip it.

+1,000

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't miss the first week of school. My kid would be a tired mess with a lot of emotions to get out that week and it wouldn't be fair to him or the grandparents to leave them to deal with it.

First week of K (we have full day here) tends to be exhausting, even for kids who did extended day preschool or full day preschool.

+1.

First week of kindergarten?

For me, no way, but it depends on the kid, relationship with grandparents, etc.

I have friends whose parents are local so the grandparents have already been highly involved in day care or preschool pickup. Mine aren't and I wouldn't put it on them to manage the first week of kindergarten.

Sorry this sounds judgy, but I just could not see my way to this - I'd feel guilty and how will your son feel when every other kid is personally handed off by mom and dad and your on a birthday trip for a friend.

Could you go, and come back Sunday night? So he has a day with you, and goes to bed rested the night before Kindergarten?

Similarly, I'd want to be there to send him off every day of the first week, so if school starts Aug 31, I'd probably tell the group I'd meet them on Friday afternoon/evening.

I wouldn't. The first few weeks of Kinder are a huge transition. I remember the weekend after my kids' started Kindergarten as one where they needed a lot of attention and downtime.

I wouldn't want to miss the Open House or the first few days of school, so if school starts 8/31, I think you're good to go. I'm saying this as someone who traveled to California for a wedding about 2 weeks after our oldest started kindergarten. Grandma and Grandpa stayed with him and younger brother at our house; my sister and BIL and their 2 kids were also on call, and we had lots of fun activities planned so he wouldn't miss us. DH and I have wonderful memories of that trip. Our son does not seem to have been traumatized by the experience -- he just graduated from med school, in fact.

I wouldn’t go, but that’s just me. I don’t want to miss any important milestones, and I’d want to be there to see how it went and give support if need be. We also have a first-day-of-school family tradition that I wouldn’t want to skip.

OP, it totally depends on how your school works. For us (in FCPS), there are several K playdates over the summer, and then an open house the Thursday or Friday before school begins where the kids get to meet their teacher, see their classroom, and meet other kids. If your school is like this, and you would be able to do the playdates and open house, I would absolutely go on the trip. You can pick out clothes and backpack and lunch for the first day before you leave, have your parents take a first day picture, and then Facetime after to see how it went.

I know I'm a bit weird when it comes to things like this, but I also recognize that kids don't remember one-off things like this if you make it to most things. And I would be very surprised if your child, a few years from now, even remembered that you weren't there for the first day (if you were there for all the lead-up).

I would not commit to go on the trip. I wouldn't want to miss my only child's first day of school. I take the first day off of school every year to see my kids off to school. They enjoy it and so do I. There will be other firsts in their lives, but not this particular one.

Anonymous wrote:I think its highly unlikely that MCPS will start after labor day for 2020. The legislature over-rode the Hogan executive order that forced them to start after Labor Day. MCPS always hated the post-Labor Day start, and I think there's no way they will keep it now that they are not required to. My guess is they will start either the Monday before Labor Day (their old system), or the Monday before that (which was what they were debating when the Hogan order came down). Post this question on the MD Schools Forum and you will get many more informed answers. But I'm not planning any summer trips for late August 2020! I agree they should have it out soon, as many people do plan vacations one year ahead to get reservations.

Thank you, this is helpful.

You shouldn't miss the first day of kindergarten. It's a big milestone or your child (and for you).

I think your group of friends sounds super fun and I love the idea of a group trip somewhere nice to celebrate a milestone birthday.

But I wouldn't miss my only kid's first day/week of kindergarten. I just wouldn't.

If you guys have an entire year to plan this, I would ask if people could do later in September. If they can't, I would skip it.

I was in a similar position, with a good (but not best) friend's wedding the day before the first day of Kinder. We declined, and although I wish I could have been there, I would have deeply regretted having missed that big "first."

Anonymous wrote:Op here. I explained why the trip is important to us in my original post. We don’t see each other often, especially all together, and getting the group together is important to all of us. But I’m not sure it warrants us leaving our kid right before his first day of school. My feeling is that if school starts the week before, then we will go. Does anyone know when MCPS sets its 2020 calendar?

If it's that important to your host, as well, she would have selected an early birthday party week, say in early August.

I wouldn’t. That’s a big transition. They just need you.