...and where are the kids supposed to go exactly?

Let's breakdown this grievance.

People complain about all the kids they see in Vegas, and wonder, What were the parents thinking? My question then to these people is, Where are the kids supposed to go?

Are people who have children supposed to avoid Vegas? While it is an adult town, there is so much a parent can do with their kid around.

Personally if I had children, I would still desire to go to Vegas, and it may be cheaper for me (and in some cases, less of a hassle depending upon circumstances) to take them with me. Sure it can also be a burden.

So, if you had kids or you do have kids, do/would you go with them to Vegas? And if not, where would you leave your kids while you take the journey to Vegas?

 

Yes, I have kids. Would I take them to Vegas? Hell no. It's hard enough for me to get out there with the wife, or some friends, so when I do have the opportunity to head out there, I want to enjoy it.

I'm lucky enough to have lots of family in town, so I have options as to who I can leave them with without feeling uneasy.

 

I go to Vegas to get away from my kids. Love them to death but Vegas is my escape town. I tell all of them that they can with me when they are 21.
We leave them with their Grandparents or I go solo.(wife is welcome to go solo but is too scared to do so)

When we go on vacation with the kids we go to Orlando, Myrtle Beach, etc.

 

THIS......

 

Ditto what everyone else said....love my kids...but Vegas is for me and my husband....No kiddies allowed....

I've already told the 8year old that she gets to go when she turns 21.

My husband and I like to play VP together...How would that work with kiddies in the mix...i don't understand how people do it...unless one parent stays in the room (no fun) and other other gambles...but that to me wouldn't be fun either!

Grandparents are where my kids stay when we go to Vegas!

 

When you go to a bar or an adult club you don't see kids there do you?
No, the people with kids leave them home.

Seriously though. Nothing wrong with staying on the strip in a nice hotel with the kids. Personally I would feel safer with kids on the strip then at a hotel off the strip. Plus there is a lot to see and do with kids on the strip and some of the pools are great for kids.

I believe the issue is there are so many other places geared toward the kids. If you want to take the kids on a vacation one would think going to a place geared for kids would be better. Sure Vegas has stuff for kids but on a very limited basis.

The other major issue is when the sun goes down, the partying starts and the inebriation begins. Kids don't need to be exposed to that type of party atmosphere, people or porn slappers.

 

I speak to parents all the time who say that they've had to give up so much of their lives, hobbies, and personal enjoyments (and some of them regret it). This would indeed qualify as one of those sacrifices. If you can't put your kids ahead of yourself, you are a questionable parent. Get your wild times out of your system first, send your children off into the world with a good upbringing, and then you get your personal lives back. If you want to dance, you've gotta pay the piper first.

 

+1 Sam.....

 

The problem is not kids in Vegas. The problem is irresponsible parents with their kids in Vegas. Just as irresponsible parents are a problem in any place of public accommodation. Last time I checked Vegas has a population north of 1 million folks. I suspect that means there are hundreds of thousands of kids who, get this, LIVE in Vegas.

The problem is not the kid in the room next door at TI. It's the fucktard parents dragging the kids around the Strip at 11 pm. Just as the problem is the obnoxious drunk at the blackjack table and the rude asshole going ballistic on the waitress at Peppermill.

Considered once or re-considered for the millionth time here, this topic only yields opinions, not immutable laws.

 

I cant say I fully agree with this statement. Are you saying parents are never allowed a vacation to themselves while their kids are still living at home? Our girls are teenagers and we have just recently started taking quick trips without them and they stay with my parents. I dont see anything wrong with this and I dont think it makes us bad parents. If anything I think it helps make us better ones when we get a chance to re connect with eachother instead of being a constant taxi and event planner for our kids lol! I think its good for the kids to be away from their parents once in awhile too, everyone needs a little breathing room and like I said we have two teenage girls

And actually our kids have been to Disneyworld and Universal Studios every year for the past 4 years which we love too but I'm sorry Vegas is no place for kids.

 

You are very wise Ken!

 

I initially had the same thought about Sam's post, but I don't think that's his intent.

After all, do any of us parents out there go out to a private dinner with our respective spouse? Ever go to a movie without your kids?

This is the same thing, only on a more grand scale.

 

My siblings and I all make about the same amount of money. They have 2 kids each and 1 has 2 grand-kids as well. Me? No kids! Why?
Because my sibs are always in debt while I seem to have plenty of disposable income. I discovered this by watching them over the years.
So I made the decision many years ago -- NO KIDS FOR ME! Small kids needs should be put before the needs of the parents.
Take them to Disney - that's what the Theme Parks are there for. Leave the kids with a sitter and spend a weekend in Vegas or take separate adult vacations.

 

Just put a bunch of Disney movies on a continuous loop and get yourself one of those automatic cat-feeders (replace the cat food with Cap’n Crunch or something). Kids ought to be fine for a long weekend or so.

 

I'm with Ken!

We take our boys to Las Vegas to visit their great grandmother, she lives there. Sometimes we go without them. We don't drag them out at all hours of the night. They love to be able to choose (mostly) what they want to eat at buffets. We don't have easy access to a swimming pool at home so they love spending hours at the hotel pool. The family friendly experience can be done if that is what you choose.

 

On my first trip after my son was born I was on an elevator where a kid was in tow and screaming. After that family got off there was a couple left on the elevator, I turned to them and said: "I left mine at home." They said: "Same with us."

It was strange to go back after having a kid. I didn't notice them so much before, but that time I saw 'em all over the place, and rarely were they in a good mood (parents and children, both, simultaneously; a certain shared cause and effect.)

I understand that sometimes there's family events that go on in Vegas, like weddings, reunions, graduations, etc. I understand that 'round through the 90's casinos started jumping in on the whole family vacation idea. So, sure, there are things for bigger kids to do in Vegas. But, that's not nearly as cool now as it was then. If we still had Wet N Wild (the water park) or the theme park at MGM, that might be more viable. Now, though, you've pretty much got Circus Circus, Gameworks, the arcade at NYNY, and the midway games at Excalibur for anything major, otherwise it's museum-y things or single rides. Oh, and all of that is pay per play, which gets very expensive very quick (Well, I think you can do some kind of ride pass at the Circus Circus Aventuredome.)

Regardless, though, the main thing I notices is that it seems like many parents leave their normal parenting ideals at whatever airport they left home through. I specifically remember families with kids being drug screaming through casinos at 1AM, probably after some show or something. More than just 1, there were a few. And it wasn't at Circus Circus. (Of course, this happens at Disney too, but considering the hours that the park is open, it's not quite as prevalent.)

I remember going to Reno with the family when I was about 11 or 12. It was a round trip of Disney, Knott's, Magic Mountain, and a couple days in Reno. I remember hanging around Circus Circus and having some fun, but generally being bored. Luckily we had cousins there, so we had kids we knew that we could play with. I can't imagine how that would be for a single kid or smaller kids. As it was, with 8 family adults around, I'm sure it was annoying to be on "kid duty", and that was split across 8 rather than just 2.

Like others have mentioned, there's things you give up when you have a family. No one says you have to fully give up Vegas, but the freedom certainly is reduced. I made the judgement call to not bring mine to Vegas. I brought mine to Disney, that was a family vacation. There was very little distraction from family stuff, nothing really that "I" wanted to do that couldn't include family. I wouldn't want to try to balance "me" things with "family" things in Vegas.

Of course, everyone's situation differs, luckily I do have some family that can watch mine for short trips. What does this mean? I can't go for a week at a time. I gave up that privilege for a while. But, I've been able to do long holiday weekends from time to time. Eventually I might be able to do more.

Such is the life of a parent.

 

I think this is a bit off topic. It's not that we're discussing the merits of having kids, but in the bringing them to Vegas. I'm fairly certain that it's no news that kids are crazy expensive.

 

I guess maybe I was too hard on Sam and you are also very wise lol!!

 

I didn't ever want to bring my kids to Vegas. My husband and I did have grandparents that would watch the kids while we went away for the weekend but they also went south for six months during the winter. So, we found a very responsible high school student who stayed with the kids when we went to Vegas. She was a regular sitter of ours so we knew we could trust her. We had some close friends on deck for emergencies. And we also started doing solo trips. My husband doesn't really like Vegas so my solo trip was to Vegas and his was golfing with his buddies. Our kids are long gone now and we still do our solo trips!
BTW - I brought both of my kids to Vegas after they turned 21. We had a blast.