My 5 “Mom Rules” for our kids while cruising

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Do you cruise with kids or pre-teens?  Do you have “mom rules” for kids while cruising?

If you’ve spent any time on my About page, you know that I am a worrier.  I can’t help it.  It’s just how I’m wired.  So, when we started cruising regularly with our kids …I laid out some ground rules.  What I referred to as my non-negotiables.

Here are MY top 5 “mom rules” for kids while cruising.

You know kids.  Masters of negotiation.  I give on deserts and wearing socks that don’t match and lots of other things.  But, on matters of what I feel are ones of safety, I’m kind of a bear.  A mama bear. For reference, we started cruising with our kids regularly when they were around 10 and 7 and now our youngest is 17. So, I’ve survived those pre-teen and teen years.  It’s a wonderful time but I would like to add…may the force be with you.

My general advice for pre-teens typically consists of:   Buy lots of food and lots of Fabreeze and you’ll be good to go!  😉 But, back to cruising.

Here are my 5 mom rules for our kids

-while cruising to have a safe and fun (um, so mom will stop worrying) cruise experience!

1.  You need to shower each day. No, the hot tub doesn’t count. 

For those of you that have kids, especially teenagers, you know why this made the list. I also pack fabric refresher in my cruise cabin prep kit.  But, teens, God love them,  just aren’t always aware of how stinky socks on the floor and getting sweaty during an intense basketball game add to the aroma in the small room.

Hey, I paid for you to be here kiddo.  Keep it clean!

2.  You cannot be on the outside upper deck at night without us.

I remember my husband giving me that “seriously?” look when I laid out this rule.  But, I dug my mom high-heels in….(ok, mom flip flops).  Years ago, when we cruised for our honeymoon the wind was so strong at times that it nearly knocked me over.  All it took was for me to imagine our daughter being knocked down or our son walking along and some large man who may have had a few extra cocktails falling into him.

Now, I’m a reasonable person.  I have been on several cruises and I know to actually fall overboard there have to be extenuating circumstances.  But, nope, I didn’t budge.

To be honest, our son is now 18 years old and has graduated from this rule. But, this is the only rule he’s graduated from.  😉

3.  You will attend dinner with us every night. 

We are old school cruisers and we love the dining room experience.  It has changed since the days of gowns on a formal night but we still loved the set dining time.  We love showing up and seeing how the staff interacts with our children and already know what they love to drink and the little things that make their evening special.

Changes in the cruise industry such as my-time dining/freestyle dining and a huge increase in specialty dining options are certainly changing this experience.  But, we are holding on to our early traditional dining for as long as possible.

Back to my Mom Rules for kids while cruising

I remember when our son was 11.  It was really the first time that he was able to stay out late without us.  He met several boys his age and they would meet up at the hot tub or participate in a basketball tournament.  He would stay up late and sleep late into the morning.

We know he loved his new “limited” freedom.  And, we were comfortable knowing that he was contained.  Our dinner rule ensured that we had family time together in addition to our time in the various ports.  Occasionally he would want to skip desert to meet up with his new friends but he never questioned the dinner rule.

Looking for more details from our most recent cruise?  Read my post from the Carnival Dream.

 

4.  NO ONE is allowed in your cabin and you are NOT ALLOWED to go in anyone else’s cabin.  No exceptions!

Here’s the deal.  This should have been my #1 rule.  Our kids usually have a connecting room to ours.  We’ve looked at getting a Jr. Suite or something but honestly we want the extra bathroom.  If our son is taking a marathon shower and our daughter has to use the toilet…Not fun!  Because they are able to be a little independent while on board, we are not always in the room at the same time.  That is why this rule is in place and extremely important to me.

There are so many common areas around the ship.  There is no reason why they need to bring back new friends to hang out in their room or go hang out in someone else’s room.  I feel like this is just a huge safety issue that I will not budge on.  I do not want the liability of having other children in our cabin and I will not risk the safety of our children in someone else’s cabin. Done!

This is the part when my husband adds…”wow, you’re soooooo tough” in a quite sarcastic tone.  Please don’t get the wrong impression.  I feel like cruise ships are generally VERY safe.  But, there are unkind people everywhere and it’s just not a risk I’m willing to take.

 

And the final rule of my 5 Mom Rules for kids while cruising

5.  Have Fun!  

Get out there!  Meet people from other parts of the country, other parts of the world.  Try new foods.  Climb a rock wall.  Try a surf simulator.  Don’t you dare sit in the room watching T.V.  Why not check out the teen/kids club activities?  It’s your vacation, too.  Make the most of it.

But…don’t be late for dinner.  😉

 

Have you cruised with little ones or teens?  Do you have one to add to my 5 Mom Rules for kids while cruising?

I’d love to hear about your experience. Do you have “mom rules”, too? Please tell me I’m not alone!

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Happy Travels!

Jillian

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