If you’re vacationing with kids, can it ever truly be restful? 

Parents pay for nannies and embark on child-free vacations all the time. The reason? Vacationing with kids isn’t exactly the restful retreat that some parents are looking for. Children, in all their magic, cuteness, and boundless energy, can be a handful, especially if you’re a single parent and your kiddos outnumber you. While moms and dads obviously love their kids endlessly, they crave a restful, book-reading, tropical paradise to expunge the permanent dark circles under their eyes. 

Truth be told, nannies are expensive, and asking grandparents to babysit for longer than an afternoon can prove to be complicated. So what’s a budget parent to do when their heart yearns for a mellow, resort-style vacation? Who will care for the tiny humans when mama’s getting a meditative seaweed spa treatment? Can mommy ever get some peace and quiet to read her fantasy novels ever again? Why doesn’t every hotel have a daycare center or free children’s camps? 

While the resort hotel didn’t offer in-house babysitting services for this single mom, she knew she could count on her friend to be there for her, whether they were aware of their built-in nannying duties or not. 

After agreeing to accompany their friend on vacation, this childfree adult was shocked at the mental bandwidth required to handle two young children, and when their mom ditched them all at the kiddie pool, the friend felt rightfully betrayed. Although we all feel for a mom who needs to slip away for some ‘me-time’ every now and again, tricking your friend into babysitting duties isn’t the right way to carve out your personal moments.