Would you allow your kid to vacation with another family out of state?

Would you allow your child to go on vacation with another family? Its her best friend but they will be in another state for a week and I am unsure how I feel about it. We know her family and they have been friends for years but it still gives me anxiety.

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Depends on how much you trust the family but if you’ve known them for years I’d say yes, don’t let your anxiety ruin precious memories for your child. It’s hard not to be overprotective sometimes the world we live in is scary. :mending_heart:

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My son went to Florida at 11 and Hawaii at 14 with his BFF and family, who has become my son’s second family. He is going with them to Costa Rica in December (he will be 19 by then). I am so glad he got those experiences.

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I let my youngest go to the islands last summer with his friend for a week while we took the oldest and two of his friends on a vacation to the beach several states away from our home. Both parents agreed to allow their children to go with us and signed medical authorization forms that allowed me to have them treated if needed. I also had to sign a form and have it notarized for my youngest before he was allowed to leave the US. It’s really up to you but please consider if your child is mature enough to be away from you for a week without getting homesick and if you really do trust the other parents with your child if so let them go because the memories made will remain with them throughout their life.

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If you know the family well, I would let them go. I understand your fears and some of them can be totally legit…
I will always remember our middle son had a very close friend in their high school years. I knew his parents very well (my husband didn’t). They invited our son to go
on a weeks vacation to Florida with them, I was ok with him going
but husband wasn’t and wouldn’t give him permission to go.
Our son & friend were so disappointed and I was to.
Sorry for a long story to say this.
Our sons friend had a genetic problem with his heart, he’d got from his grandmother he passed away, if I remember correctly,
in his senior year or shortly after graduating high school.
We were always sad our son
missed that trip with him to
Florida….:disappointed_relieved:

My son went to Disney World (on a plane to several states away) for about a week with his aunt just before he turned 2. My kids were/are very independent. Possibly happy to be away from their stressed-out Mommy. :smile: Had a great time & when he got back I could understand the words “Mickey Mouse,” “Goofy” and “Do(l)phins” (also went to Sea World) in his excited babbling. No problems with either of my kids going away with trusted others.

It would depend on the age and maturity level of my child and how closely I knew the other parents. I’d have to have been places with them and know they weren’t the type of couple who argue all the time, that they didn’t drink and drive at all, not even one beer and drive, and I’d have to know how they parented and how much actual supervision they provided to their own kids. You can think you know someone because you see them often at events or church and talk to them about everything. But until you’ve spent some real time with them in different situations you have no clue what them or their family dynamic is really like.

I consider a couple things.

  1. The child’s age
  2. Does the child have a phone?
  3. Do you know the people well and trust them?
  4. Is the child comfortable?
  5. Can the child swim?
    I completely understand your anxiety. My oldest child passed away and it’s so hard to allow my other two to leave me but I can’t let my anxiety stop them from having fun.

I’d always take my BFF on vacation with me as a child. However I’m not sure I’d allow my son to go with anyone but family. In today’s world life is so much different

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My son is about to be 11, it’s a hard no for me.

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My niece went out of state with our neighbors once. And her sister did the same on another trip. The neighbor’s daughter went out of state with me, my husband and youngest niece once and it was both of their first flights. We are like family so yes we were good with it. My nephew went out of state with his friend to see friend’s grandparents. No adults went and they were teens. Again we were good with it.
To be clear…my mother and I raised my brother’s 3 children after he was tragically killed in a car wreck. All of our neighbors in our subdivision were pretty much like family and we trusted each other.
And also right after my brother was killed we took all three kids with a friend each out of state to the beach for a week. One was a neighbor and we used neighbor’s mom’s van. :blush:

My son went camping with his friend and their family last summer (2023) for like 5 days. He had a blast. He was 7.5 years old…

Trust is the biggest thing. U can always ask to have ur daughter call you every night before bed or have her friend’s parents send you pictures throughout the day of the things they do.

My child is an only so we always took other kids with us out of state. One parent cried but still let him come. I had one family ask if my daughter could go with them out of state. We didn’t know them at all. It was so weird.

So many things are happening… children are trusting of adults that they are normally with. Sometime that’s a good thing some time not. If I was in your position my child wouldn’t be going.

Yes, I would definitely let them go. And I did let mine go, and often took others with us.

As long as you know the family well and you know exactly where they are going
I don’t see a problem
Your child is getting to experience something new
And you are getting some you time

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Her best friend I’d say yes but that’s because I know the family and trust that she would be ok I have brought my daughter’s best friend wot VA a few times when it was her father’s weekend

Absolutely, I take my best friends kids with us on vacation all the time. I have also allowed my kids to go to church camp in another state and on vacation with their friends… but only our very close friends.

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Yes my son is going for 4 days on a plane to Las Vegas with a friend he’s had since 2nd grade he is 15

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My BFF in childhood used to come on vacations with us out of state all the time. It was so much fun.

Yep! As long as you know the family and are comfortable. Kids need their independence.

That’s how a child gets confidence in been on there own,(no mom no dad). N learn how to act

You are the parent, everything depends on them, your kids attitude and age.

Yes, however it would depend on how well I knew the family

Depends if I know the parents well enough

If I trust my daughter and the parents they’re over the age of 12 yup

That is a hard NO for me !!!

My son went with my 2nd family all the time. He started going when he was around 3 or 4. Mostly weekends but he did a few 1wk and 2 wk trips.
He wanted to go. They practically raised me so I wasn’t worried. Other kids and adults were around. He always had a blast.
Personally, I let them go for them. Not me. They gained some independence and saw how other ppl and families lived. When they got home they had TONS to tell me about. It was exciting for them and I got to breathe for a minute. :purple_heart:

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Yes. If you know them and they have hung out a long time.