Coin toss. Best of three. Dad won. He gets to take eldest dd (11) on BW trip without sibs this summer before middle school.

Tradition is before school changes, and I did it before k'garten, but he took other two before their k'garten years so this time could have gone to either of us depending on criteria. We decided to toss coin.

I lost - waaaaaah. But that likely means I get ds next summer and this dd again before HS in 3 years! Maybe I can help plan - she's already poring over maps...

I did not understand that post.


sorry for your loss. ;)

OK, am I dense? Was that a joke or really you didn't understand?

Our family tradition is that each of three kids gets a BW trip with just mom/dad before they change schools. (This is in addition to full family trips we also take, this is special just for that kid.) So, I took eldest kiddo the summer before her kindergarten started. My spouse took middle kid and youngest kid before their kindergarten years. Then, they've all been in same school for the past 3 years or so, and now oldest is moving to Middle School next year.

So this summer is "her" turn for another trip with just mom or dad. We couldn't figure out who should get to take her, so we flipped a coin and I lost. My spouse will get to take her this year. So, I'm whining. I had visions of a mid-summer or Labor Day mother-daughter trip... and now it's likely that my next BW trip will be the end of September. More whining.

Thanks for the condolences. I'll get my "share" eventually, as each kid will have 4 of these trips (before k'garten, before Middle School, before High School, and before College). So that's 12 special trips (4 times 3 kids), and I'll get 6 of them. Just none this year.

I feel for ya! I'm "blessed" in that I'm the only parent that will trip so I don't have to share :)

I love your family tradition!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

quote campnscrap: "I feel for ya! I'm "blessed" in that I'm the only parent that will trip so I don't have to share :)


"

Same here. Now I just have to convince my girls that a canoe trip is actually fun. My boys are grown up and have their own lives, so getting together for a trip is next to impossible. :(

quote mooseplums: "Now I just have to convince my girls that a canoe trip is actually fun. My boys are grown up and have their own lives, so getting together for a trip is next to impossible. :("

How old are your girls MP? If they are young enough they either have no choice OR if you make it something that one of them can NOT do, they will BOTH want it more ;-)

I am dreading hearing that my kids don't want to go some day. I'm not sure what my approach will be. So far, no problems there but I've heard as they get older it might happen. The dd who gets the trip this summer was asking if she could bring a friend. She does have a good friend whose mom loves the BW (amd I like friend and mom), so I suppose if it is my turn to take her some time and I **wanted** to share my daughter for the trip, I could include friend and mom some day... it's in my back pocket as a "bribe" should it ever come to that.

As to being grown and too busy for a trip, I feel that way about my siblings... but have managed to have one trip each with two of them. Still working on the third one that has kids AND working on my parents. Keep extending the invites and making sure they know they are welcome. Hopefully someone will take you up on it soon.

What do the acronyms dd and ds mean?

My girls are 15 and 11, the older one is a girlie girl, but the other one may warm up to the idea. As for my sons, one lives in Phoenix, one is in Washington state, and the others are in MN..(so far). I may be able to convince them to go....some day...I can dream.

quote drought: "What do the acronyms dd and ds mean?"

Sorry, it's internet-speak for "dear daughter" and "dear son"... there is dh - "dear husband" and dw - "dear wife" and dp - "dear partner" too... if you want to talk about them in shorthand OR you want to not use their real names, etc. I sometimes use dd1 for eldest and dd2 for youngest. Just a bad internet habit I guess.

quote mooseplums: "My girls are 15 and 11, the older one is a girlie girl, but the other one may warm up to the idea. As for my sons, one lives in Phoenix, one is in Washington state, and the others are in MN..(so far). I may be able to convince them to go....some day...I can dream."

My 11 yo is a girlie girl too, my 8yo thinks she's a boy. Both of them love the BWCA, maybe for different reasons or experiences. I guess my 11yo is not yet glued to a mirror (although she can spend hours in front of it, she doesn't take it with her)... Maybe I'll lose her in 3 more years. Do yours like local paddling?

If you can still trip with your kids you are lucky. My daughters did a dozen trips each with me in junior and senior high school, but none since. At the time they were really good campers, too, but they seem to have moved on. The older one brought her husband from Dallas to the BW, and he thought it was really tough, but his idea of roughing it is Holiday Inn. They have never been back. Now I'd trying to play the "Grandpa" card and take my 8 and 5 year old granddaughters to the BW, but their parents would probably have to go, and they don't seem too enthused.

quote BWPaddler: "

quote drought: "What do the acronyms dd and ds mean?"

Sorry, it's internet-speak for "dear daughter" and "dear son"... there is dh - "dear husband" and dw - "dear wife" and dp - "dear partner" too... if you want to talk about them in shorthand OR you want to not use their real names, etc. I sometimes use dd1 for eldest and dd2 for youngest. Just a bad internet habit I guess."

Okay, that makes a lot more sense than what my mind was making up!

So you lost this one, and so it goes. But I'm with Kevlar, I still think you are lucky!

Yes, I know I'm pretty ding dang lucky!! My son will be up for another "solo" kid trip next summer before his own shift to middle school, so I can likely claim that one outright, no coin toss needed.

I cannot tell you how geeked I get when we are up there and I see them all three paddling over to a nearby island on their own to "explore" wearing their pirate bandanas, etc. Or when they head off on a 189 rod portage with gear that looks bigger than they do... We have our rough times, but overall YES I am LUCKY! Busting with pride! Gonna brag now and post pics from last month's trip. Didn't mean to, but can't help myself, I love my kids!!