Mom Wants to Take Her 2 Young Daughters on Separate Disney Vacations, but Her in-Laws Think It’s a ‘Totally Awful Plan’

A mother has found herself in a parenting debate after revealing her plans to take her daughters on separate Disney vacations.

In a post shared on the U.K.-based forum Mumsnet, the mom explained that she has two daughters, aged 2 and 4. When her eldest turns 5, she hopes to celebrate the milestone with a special trip to Disneyland Paris.

Outlining her idea, she wrote, “I don’t think we should take [our youngest daughter] with us, as I want it to be a special birthday treat for [our eldest]. Then, in a couple of years, when it’s [my youngest’s] fifth birthday, we can do the same.”

The mom added that she rarely gets one-on-one time with her older child because of school and wanted to make the celebration extra meaningful. “I’d love to spoil her a little for her birthday,” she said.

However, not everyone in the family agrees. “My in-laws are convinced this is a totally awful plan and we’ve lost our mind[s],” she explained. “They think it might be fine this time, but I’m asking for hell when it’s [my youngest’s] turn and [my eldest daughter] is 7.”

When she asked for opinions online, Mumsnet users were split.

Some supported the idea, with one commenter writing, “I think it’s fine to want to do things 1-1 with your kids — I do it with my older ones.”

Others, though, called the plan unfair. “No, that’s just mean,” one user argued. “She can still have a special birthday treat with her sister present, surely? It’d be more fun for her with another child there.”

Another commenter offered a middle ground: “I’d leave going until the youngest is 5 and then take them both for their first visit. Your [eldest] won’t remember much of it until they’re a bit older anyway.”