we are going out of town for about 24 hours to a wedding and need to leave 21-month old with in laws. they live in another state and he only sees them once every few months. in the past month he has exhibited major separation anxiety when we have left him (to go out to dinner or something) even with my parents whom he sees almost daily/weekly. he was never like this until recently. he cried for mama the entire 2+ hours we were at dinner until finally going to sleep, 2 hours later than usual. i am really nervous to leave him with my in laws (in their house, a place he barely knows), for this overnight trip. i hate the thought of him being distressed for 24 hours and that he probably won't sleep. should i just let him suck it up? should we take him with us?
I would see if you can spend a day prior with them and your child so it would be alot more comfortable maybe??
I feel you, mine are 3 and 9 mos and we are leaving them for the first time this weekend. The only time my 3 yr old has been away from me was when I had the 9 mo old lol. Its hard mama, but we have to do it :) Its better for them in the long run!!
My son would have freaked if I left him with someone other than those he spent daily time with for that long. Knowing he was miserable would have made me miserable. If the bride is ok with kids being in attendance, I would definitely take him. My son attended many weddings with me, and loved every minute of it! Sometimes my husband would stay in the hotel room with our son while he napped (when the wedding was MY friends') and then bring him to the reception, this worked out beautifully more than once.
This is so hard! We are going through this right now as well, except our son is younger than yours. We decided to take him to the last wedding we attended, and we will probably take him to the next few coming up this month. It is so much less stressful on all parties! Yes, it would be nice to enjoy the wedding with just my husband, but we have plenty of time for that in the future. Plus, husband is insistent baby is coming with us!
Given your circumstances, I would take my child with us to the wedding.
In the future, maybe you can ease into the transition. Visit with these in laws more often, gage your son's reaction around them when you are present. This is only a phase! It will get easier and soon.
Good luck!
Is there any way you can go to your in laws place a few days in advance to give your son a chance to get relaxed with them? I would see how that goes and if he's having a really hard time, then consider taking him with. But he may be fine, kids grow out of those stages as quickly as they come on. :) Good luck!
