For those of you with children - Honeymoon?

For us, it'd be a rubbish holiday without the kids... We've talked about it and we both definitely want them to come with us - but then we have only been on holiday twice as a family and I'm start Uni in September so it'll probably be our last holiday for at least the next 3 years - so we probably see it more as family time away than a honeymoon IYSWIM.

I think it's a very personal decision and hope you and your H2B can come to some sort of agreement

Well, we have some time to go yet. Our initial plan is that all being well my xOH will have them and we get a week away somewhere. This is dependant on xOH cooperation ?. If plan A doesn't happen then we will just take the children away for a week with us. As much as i would love a week on our own together, I am not overly worried if things don't go to plan. I tend to look upon the honeymoon as just a glorified holiday and I am sure we could have one of those at some point in the future.

We're leaving ours at home. They're going to stay at my parents, where they both have their own bedroom, and they'll be at school during the day anyway.

My H2B is not their father and we've never spent more than a couple of days on our own and as I had my son at 19, I'm looking forward in some ways to spending the week with no responsibility. I will miss them like mad though and will probably cry at some point during the middle of the week...

If we could have afforded a honeymoon, or the time off work to have one, we'd have left the kids at home but probably only go away for a week max. As it is, we're going to Legoland with the kids in a couple of weeks and then to one of our favourite festival in July instead and treating that as our honeymoon (sans children).

Next year - DISNEYLAND! Hopefully.....

My son will be spending the first week with his dad as it's half term, then a week with my mum when he goes back to school.

Personally I think a honeymoon should be just for the couple, even if it's just a 2 night minimoon, you need that time to relax after months (years) of planning and just enjoy each other's company. It might sound selfish, but I want a couple of weeks where it's just me and my new hubby, someone else doing the cooking and housekeeping, where we can do what we want not what needs doing.

We are going away just the 2 of us and leaving the kids (11 & 3) with both grandparents. We haven't been away just the 2 of us for 5 years and that was the first time we left 1st DD. We are just going for 1 week, but are very excited about spending some quality time together, I think you need time away from the kids as a couple too. My parents don't live here so it will be a good opportunity for them to spend some time with the kids.

We're planning to go to Florida in October so the kids will still get a holiday this year. x

I have a 6 yr old son from a previous relationship! I decided that I would like to go away just us as we haven't been away just us before and prob will not get the chance to do so again for a very long time!! My mum is going to mind my son and he sees it like going on holidays when he stays there anyway. We will try and get a weeekend at the coast over the summer though so he isnt too left out!!

I am very very lucky that the majority of weekends my OH's parents will have mini-T and most school holidays he goes to either my parents or my OH parents - although I work from home, he loves to do this - and they love having him.

For our honeymoon it will definitely be just the pair of us, but we'll take the short one away the same year too

We are going away just the two of us for 2 nights just after the wedding. We have never stayed away from our son before so we think that is enough for us. Then all three of us are going away in november together as we haven't had a hoilday since just after he was born so thought it would be nice to have a family holiday.

My son is my little miracle (I was told that I wouldn't be able to have kids, and its it's since been confirmed that I am now infertile), and I part-school him at the moment. IE I home school in the morning, and in the afternoon he goes to school (both for our sanity, and the social aspect!) so I do spend a lot of time with him. And the time that we do spend together during the weekends (he normally goes to OH's parents noon sat and comes back the same time on sun) and during school holidays are quality time. Mini-T doesn't spend every weekend with them (out of the last 4, he's spent 2 as they went away for 2 week) nor does he spend all the holidays away (he's spending this half-term with them but in the summer he'll be with them from about 3 days in for 2 weeks, a week with me (as my OH will probably be working away), a few days with my parents, a few with my grandparents, back with me for a week, away with my OH's parents for a couple of days, and back with us for the last week or so.

He adores spending time away (he's always been super-independent!), and if he didn't he would go with them it's as simple as that.

Our 4 kids (might be 5 by the time we get hitched, if OH gets his way) will be staying with their grandparents.

We feel it's important to have time as a couple, rather than just being a Mum and Dad.

Were thinking of going away for a couple of days in the UK just the two of us and then during the school holidays go on a big family holiday. we have a 9yr son.

Ok, so this post isn't aimed at me as I don't have children but there is one thing I do want to share with you as an OM.

Getting married is incredibly tiring. Being able to spend some time alone after the wedding was incredible, not just from a 'woohoo we're married perspective' but from a physical 'my body needs to recharge' view. I would stress to anyone getting married, whether with children or without, if you possibly can, do spend at least one night and day just being a couple. Your body will thank you for it and you'll always have a little bit of you time to look back on.

I know some people can't due to having a very young child/not enough money (though it could just be at home) and some people chose not to (which is fair enough) but I really do think it's beneficial to you both. If you then chose to spend your honeymoon en famille, fair enough, but at least you've had a chance to recharge and reflect.

That's a lovely piece of advice, CB

I totally get where you are coming from with that statement

I always take my son on holidays with us even though his special needs does make it sometimes stressful and tiring and come home more knackered but we do it for him to experience it. Fortunately my mum and sons dad have offered to have him for 2 weeks this August so that we can get our first ever break alone. It will be a good trial run for when we go on honeymoon next year although that will only be a week maximum. I just hope I can switch off and not be worrying about him as otherwise there would be no point.

I would be happy with just 2 nights alone for a honeymoon, anything else is a bonus. Do what is right for you

Our boys will be spending the time with h2b's parents while were on honeymoon. H2b would love to go away for more than a week but I dont think I could leave them for longer than that. x

We are taking our 3 yr old daughter away with us. Neither of us have spent more than 2 nights away from her and can't imagine leaving her for 2 weeks. Aside from that, we don't have enough members of the family that would have her for that length of time.

We are having the night after our wedding on our own tho.

It's a while off for us yet but we're hoping that our kids (who will be 5 and 9 when we get married) will spend our wedding night in my Mum's hotel room rather than ours (we're getting married in Rome). Then we'll spend a couple more days with the kids and hopefully my Mum will fly home with them and we can go to Florence for a week/5 days on our own for our honeymoon. I think it's important to have time together as a couple; you only get married once, you're parents for a lifetime :-)

We were originally going to have a honeymoon on our own to the maldives but H2B has decided that he will get very bored in paradise! I don't understand myself. So we are planning on going to Australia instead and have a family holiday of a lifetime together. H2B has friends out there who emigrated a few years ago so it will be lovely to see them too

We are just going for a little weekend mini moon the day after we get married,the eldest two who will be 13 and 16 are staying at my parents and my 3 year old is staying at my OH's parents. I am so looking forward to having some kid free time as we hardly get any. If i did not have my youngest i would have loved to go away for a week but at the moment he would miss us too much.

I thnk my OH would have happilly left the girls with his mum for the week but I know I just would have missed them far too much and felt bad, so they are coming, it's just a family holiday abroad (our first abroad holiday as a family as I don't count our 3 day campng trip to France!).... deffo happy they are coming x

We are leaving our almost 16 month old (will be 18 months by the wedding) at home with my parents. My parents will have to stay in our house anyway to look after the dalmatians, rabbits & horses. Mum absolutely dotes on Sebbie & I often think he prefers spending time with his Nanna who spoils him rotten to being with his boring mummy! From a selfish point of view, my OH & I don't get a lot of quality time together & we have had a very stressful 2 years. Our honeymoon will be chance for us to concentrate on just being us without sticky little paws prodding & poking us demanding our constant attention as only a really young child can. We're on a family holiday at the moment which is less than 3 months before the wedding so I don't feel as if Sebbie is missing out by not coming on the honeymoon with us. I think Sebbie will actually benefit from having his parents return from the honeymoon feeling refreshed & chilled!

Hiya,

I have 2 children , and my parents are looking after them for the week whilst we go away, ( the kids are excited as staying with nan is more fun than mum lol ),

my H2B and myself like you have never been away together as a couple and think its nice that we have the opportunity to do so, a bit of me/us indulgent time is not selfish !!!

hope you sort it out

Kelly xx

We will be taking our 3 year old with us as I couldn't bear to leave her for anything longer than a night. And I don't think it would be fair to leave her as she would be wondering where her Mummy and Daddy are. My daughter was born 3 months early and nearly didn't survive so she is extremely precious to me and I find it hard to leave her.

We will be having our wedding night alone at the hotel we're marrying at and Grandma is going to have her. Looking to honeymoon somehwere that childcare/kids club are laid on probably Mark Warner or similar so we can still have some couple time and she will have a great time with the other kids.

Michelle

Me and OH already agreed that a honeymoon would be pretty much the only chance we can escape on holiday without the kids for a long long time to come now. My Mum is taking care of both the kids whilst we're away for 8 days. We don't want all the fuss of having to get up early every morning, getting them fed and watered before we're even able to flick the kettle on and make ourselves a cuppa. It's all about us. We never get a break from the kids.. taking them with us (2 and 6) will IMO ruin what's supposed to be a relaxing and romantic break. We went to the Isle of Wight for a long weekend with the kids a few weeks ago.. that was our family mini-moon.

I am going to miss my boys like crazy but we've decided we'd really like some alone, responsibility-free time. Like some of you, I also had a child before I met OH so we've never had a proper holiday just the two of us (although we have managed a few weekends).

We'll be away during the school holidays so our boys are going to have their own 'holiday' and stay with my parents who will spoil them rotten. Mum has the youngest two days a week anyway and they have their own bedroom there. I think the eldest is looking forward to that more than the wedding!

Just an added thought - we've decided to go to an adults only place because I know that if I see other people with their kids it will make me think of ours even more and I'll get really sad.