Anyway,I am not a believer that couples should abandon their kids for selfish reasons,such as a ” much needed break”
Esther, that was a little harsh-sounding, and my response is from a mom who never went away without the kids (or with the kids for that matter), with the exception of one shabbos when my son was two and a half and I was pregnant with the second child.
Your use of the word ABANDON implies a very negative connotation for a vacation that many parents need from their families. Although I would not go for a week, that is for each parent to decide. The kids are witha loving Bubby and Zaydie, that is surely not abandonment by any stretch of the imagination. And you think this is SELFISH????? Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but once in a while parents NEED to be “selfish” so that they can reconnect with each other without little ones tugging at them. If they did this and left the kids frequently for a week at a time, I might agree with your assessment. But I think you are sounding a little judgmental about this. I wish I could have afforded to take such a vacation once a year.