Bringing niece for her first time...maybe.

[phlo8810]

Our niece is 10. She wants nothing more in the world than to go to Disney. My wife and I go 2 times a year and along with her parents promise her every year she will get to go. This has been going on for 7 years. We have a two week trip coming up and my other sister in law is coming for the middle weekend. We have arraigned for her to bring my niece if her parents will allow it. Here's the problem. 1 her parents want to see her there for her first trip. But they just had their second baby in a year and a half and can not afford to go any time soon. Also they really have no desire to ever go there. Despite always saying they will. 2 she has a 5 year old sister who would be crushed if she found out we took her without taking her. Both her parents are "thinking about" now an will let us know. It is very hard for her having Disney freaks for an aunt and uncle and she is a great kid. Can anyone give us some advice for getting her parents to allow us to take her? She deserves this trip alot and we are dying to take her.

[SBETigg]

As a parent, I would probably feel the same way as your niece's parents do, though I would weigh it with putting my own feelings aside for the good of the child. The sticky wicket here to my thinking is the 5 year old. She will know, and you say she will be crushed. I wouldn't benefit the 10 year old at the expense of the 5 year old's feelings. The only way I would probably be on board is if you were taking both kids, the 10 and the 5. Otherwise, how to justify to the 5 year old? Unless there's a solid plan to take her when she turns 10, make it a Turning Ten tradition, which doesn't mean the 5 year old is being slighted, just that she has to learn to wait her turn. Then it's good for both kids. But it's hard all around. There's a lot of things we want when we're kids that we don't get and we learn to accept that. This might be one of those things for your niece-- and she will survive it if her parents decide against it for now.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

:
As a parent, I would probably feel the same way as your niece's parents do, though I would weigh it with putting my own feelings aside for the good of the child. The sticky wicket here to my thinking is the 5 year old. She will know, and you say she will be crushed. I wouldn't benefit the 10 year old at the expense of the 5 year old's feelings. The only way I would probably be on board is if you were taking both kids, the 10 and the 5. Otherwise, how to justify to the 5 year old? Unless there's a solid plan to take her when she turns 10, make it a Turning Ten tradition, which doesn't mean the 5 year old is being slighted, just that she has to learn to wait her turn. Then it's good for both kids. But it's hard all around. There's a lot of things we want when we're kids that we don't get and we learn to accept that. This might be one of those things for your niece-- and she will survive it if her parents decide against it for now.

:ditto: I couldn't have said it better

[wdwfan]

I agree, so I would tell the 5 yr. old that she gets to go when she's 10. That's what we did with our nieces/nephews. We took the older ones and told the others they got to go at the same age. And yes, we held our promise and took them, actually twice.

[divinedi]

I think it comes down to what you know about the parents. Could you sit them down and talk to them about the fact that they can't, and probably won't for a long time, be able to afford to go to Disney, and that this is something you would really like to do for her before she gets too old to enjoy it (if that's even possible!!)? I was glad that I was the first one to take my girls, but I'd rather they got to go with someone else than not at all. What bothers me most is that she's been promised for the last 7 years and has yet to go, how is that fair? If no one had promised her, and had said that she 'might' get to go would be different, but promised??? Not nice!

As far as the 5 year old, I agree with the other posters, make it a "we'll take you when you're 10 like your sister"situation.

Good luck!

[phlo8810]

Good advice thanks. The ten year old rule sounds great to me but everyone else is against it. They want to tell her sister that she is going somewhere with a friend from school. I think the five year old will find out eventually so I am all for the truth. As far as promises for seven years I guess I should say they weren't firm promises but more like "you'll get to go with us soon". My wife informed me tha it's not looking good as of now for her coming. I understand where they are coming from but they told her next year so many times that I think they should let her come. For some reason we cannot convince them that they would like to come and that's the main reason we want to take her. We know they will not save for it or plan it because they don't want to go.

[AllDisney]

I think the 10 years plan sounds great. However, it's really is a decision that her parents must make. Perhaps during the last 7 years they could have said something to you like "Don't mention Disney to our daughter as we can't go and probably will not allow her to go there without us"!


End of story. You'd not be in the predicament that you are in now if something was said 7 years ago:secret:

I wish you luck!

[Janmac]

Are your niece's parents really wanting to be there when she goes for the first time, or are they feeling as tho they don't want to be beholden to you, because of the cost of a Disney trip?

Have you taken your niece on other trips? Perhaps you can work up to a Disney trip. Once you set a precedent . . .

I too like the idea of the "when you're a [certain age] trip" which won't mollify the 5 year old that much but at least it'll leave the door open and give her hope.

Our neighbors - the whole extended family - are going to Disney next summer and already some of the guys are sure they don't like it. It sounds as tho your niece's parents are in that camp. Disney, for whatever reason, isn't for everyone.

Good luck - we love to take kids to the Happiest Place on Earth!

Jan

[phlo8810]

Well her birthday is in 1 week an we just found out that she is coming. We ARE going with the 10 year old gift as to not upset her little sister (who I just found out is on record saying she only wants to go with her parents). We are so excited to take her and very excited just to tell her. She has no idea. As far as the person who wrote that we shodnt have brought it up to her for these past 7 years we didn't. We are a close family and it's kinda hard to keep the fact that we go there twice a year from her. She's a great kid who works hard in school and she deserves this more than anyone I know.

[DisneyPrincess21]

Well her birthday is in 1 week an we just found out that she is coming. We ARE going with the 10 year old gift as to not upset her little sister (who I just found out is on record saying she only wants to go with her parents). We are so excited to take her and very excited just to tell her. She has no idea. As far as the person who wrote that we shodnt have brought it up to her for these past 7 years we didn't. We are a close family and it's kinda hard to keep the fact that we go there twice a year from her. She's a great kid who works hard in school and she deserves this more than anyone I know.

:thumbsup: That's great! I think you guys made the right decision with the 10 year old thing. I think at 5 a child would probably get too homesick without their parents there, and it might end up ruining everyone's trip. So I think it is a perfect way to help the 5 year old not feel like she is being left out.

Here's a thought, how about picking up something extra special for a gift the 5 year old at WDW to help her feel important because you remembered her while on vacation.


:tink:
I Hope You Guys Have A Magical Vacation!

[RedSoxFan]

Great news that you can bring your niece.
We are bringing our niece too for her first visit in December. She and DD will both be 14 in October and are so excited to be going together.:mickey:

[SBETigg]

I'm so glad it worked out for you, and especially for her! She's going to have such an amazing time, and you'll have so much fun watching her reactions to everything.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

I'm so glad they are going to allow her to go! Now you just have to make sure that she understands that the little one will be going in 5 years and that she's had her trip.
Have a wonderful time! She's going to be so excited.