your son will learn more about life in a week in Goa than a life time on rides and eating burgers.

its you son not you mother-in-laws, you know best

got to carefull what I say regaeding M_I_Ls

lez

haddojetty, good on you for standing up against your mother in law. It will be an education for your youngster, hopefully it will let him realise how lucky he is and appreciate what he's got. have a great time when you get there.

You dont say how old your child is, we took our kids to disneyland a couple of years ago (they were six,six and eight) and whilst the shows and stuff are geared up for kids the rides are certainly not. The bulk of things todo, the child has to be a certain height etc etc and so if they are any younger than 7-8 they cant go on most of the fun stuff anyway.

Also 2 weeks in country rich in culture is certainly better than 2 weeks in a state with none, and also 2 weeks where the whole thing is like a route march and to empty your wallets at every opportunity, i know which i would want me kids to goto again and its certainly to the east of the UK.

Tell the MIL to chill out.

lol mrstella-wish i could tell her that-she'd bite my head off ha ha.

My son is 6 years old, and a very 'old' 6 at that. he is clued up, sensible and sooooo inquisitive, loves learning about other cultures. he hasn't had one negative thing to say about the hol at all! I think we are going to have to agree to disagree (me and the MIL) on this one as they come from a mentality that is conventional and follow the norms in society. Her point was, why go there where he will be at risk of disease etc, when you can go to european places that cater for kids. She prob means somewhere like Corfu where those children died last week, bless them. I bet the Dad took them there thinking they'd be safe.
Thanks for all your comments guys-I knew I could count on you!!!!!

I'll pm my addy and send some pics of our daughter (7) having the time of her life, last year she spent 4 weeks in Goa and loved every single minute, in fact the night before we left she was breaking her heart as she didn't want to come home, something she has never done even leaving euro-disney and she can't wait to go in March.

I was taken on holiday to all destinations by my parents from a very early age and I wouldn't change a thing. We lived in Spain until I was 11 and that alone gave me a great understanding of differences, culture etc. I think 6 is a perfect age to take a kid anywhere (within reason).

What is selfish about taking your child to a country and area that you love to show them what is so special about it?

It sounds like your MiL hasn't had the same opportunities in her life... Maybe she's jealous?!

haddojetty - Sunday is November 5th

I think it is a fantastic education of children, especially if they get a chance to see how some of the not so well off live. I wish I could have experienced it all at an earlier age. 6 is an ideal age, you're more than welcome to bring him to the slums we work at to see how other children his age live....

We took both our children to south Goa Feb 06 for a 2 week holiday. Girl aged 13, boy 9, they had the holiday of a life time. there were no other british children in the resort but my son had never been more entertained. The Indian children treated him like a special friend and they played cricket and football on the beach or he was in the shack playing board games with the waiters. The children swam in view of dolphins, washed elephants in the river and watched sea eagles fishing.
I think seeing the Indian Children from the fishing village finally made them realise how lucky they are. Any toys purchased there were left there.
Niether of the children suffered from deli belly or came away with any tropical illness. I did take some tubes of that hand wash you can use without water and made them use it before they ate, and moist toilet tissues came in handy as not always paper in the loo's. They are still talking about the things they saw and did in Goa NO more Greece for us we have booked for Goa Feb 07.

We took our 16 year old last March, and I have never in all the holidays we have had seen him so absorbed in his surroundings. Usually he moans he is bored etc etc. as teenagers do, down on the beach all day he tagged on with some of the local lads and we hardly knew he was with us. I guess kids of all different ages will take something from the experience and it can only be a good thing. My Mother sounded just like your MIL when I told her I was going to India for 3 Months, what you wanna go there for ? you will get poorly and best of all " your Grandad hated it when he was in the Army there", probably just a pre-conceived image that some people have about India.

Right, my boys are now grown up(16-24) and we are going to to Goa for the first time in 4 weeks (whayhay) we done the theme park thing with in the UK, and from what I discovered about Goa from here and other sources I would rather take my kids to some where like Goa for a holiday than Disney, they would get so much more from it. But they are grown up, so, they will have to take them selves

Wish my mum and dad had taken me to Goa when I was 6 instead of Great Yarmouth every year!! (nothing wrong with GY....... Honest)

My Kids loved it, boy was 15 yrs and girl 5 years. unfortunately both our mums passed away some years ago so couldn't give me any sound advice! I expect though they would have said similar things that haddojetty's mum in law said. She is probably a bit long in the tooth for all this new travel and the world is your oyster lark! Don't be too hard on her Haddojetty it probably scares her thinking of you all so far away. But don't feel guilty either, you are opening your children's eyes to an absolutely different world that they will treasure for the rest of their lives and just wait until you see the little ones face when he/she is up 20 foot in the air on an elephant's back! So much better than any theme park ride!

I hope this puts your mind at rest.

Arl

We are taking our neice who is 11 for the 1st time to Goa Next year. We love it so much and have told her lots about it and she is very excited about going. Her parents and her Grandma & Grandad think it's a wonderful idea and a real experience for her! I think when you get back from Goa and your little boy tells them what a fantastic holiday he's had, then she will fully understand. I will get my neice to ring her parents while we are there to tell them all the fun and interesting things she's doing. Maybe this would help if your son rang his Grandma while you are away and told her all about it too!

Enjoy your holiday!

sounds like a jealous mum in law to me...i think its a brilliant idea to take kids to different countries & cultures...all the kids ive seen in goa (brits) always seem to be having a whale of a time. ignore the old bag & have a good time!!!!

My Mum has said virtually the same to me ''Why do you want to go there, you could get all sorts of nasty diseases, its very faraway. I am worried etc etc''

Im 38

Totally agree with Millym - sounds like the Ma in Law wants to go too! Have you thought about inviting her . It is such a falacy that men have trouble with their MIL's when in actually fact it is always the wife that gest the agro from them! Go enjoy!

good on you girl sticking to your guns you are doing your son a lot better by takeing him to india,
what is disneyland but a very expensive, overrated place that children get fortunes spent on them, they want this and that that costs loads , ices, toys, balloons, burgers and chips, that just cost the earth!! america is just about money money money!!!, and its full of spoilt brats!! (exeptions!!!) who want want want all the time!!
where as goa is a poor country the children have nothing and alls you ever do is see them smile and laugh, you will never see a child say""can i have??!!" or throwing a dicki because theyv been told no! the food is cheap the sea and beach is free!!, you can go on loads of different trips that dont cost the earth, you will be chilled out and you wont have to keep putting your hand in your pocket, when i told an old army officer that had served in india i was takeing my daughter there he said she will learn more in that 3 weeks than any where else or any school book about life and do you know what he was right!!

Wow I have read all your replies-thankyou for your kind and supportive comments-they really do mean a lot to me. I knew I was doing the right thing by taking him to Goa but the comments from MIL made me start to think "maybe she's right". I now know I was wrong to think this-he's going to have a blast!

Jo101-thanks for the reminder about moist toilet tissues-I hadn't thought of that one!

Blondepuff-yes I think you are right-she hasn't had the same opportunities and I think yes, she is jealous.

poipleshadow-Thankyou for your kind offer to come to the slums. I really would like to take you up on that as it is something we talked about doing. Perhaps I can bring some clothes/toys/anything you can't get there. Let me know as I am very interested.

arltogoa2006-No, I'm not being hard on her as I haven't even tried to fight my corner (yet!!!) When we went to India before (before child!), she questioned why we were going then-and that was for 6 months!

sandyshoes-yes I will get him to call her!

millym-lol (old bag comment).

I can't wait to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Neither can my son!