u/Alternative_Bunny812

Hi! My kids (13, 8, 6) go to a year-round school and have fall break at the end of September and early October. I was thinking of taking them to LegoLand for the first time this Fall, but I see that they currently have a "kids stay free" deal that saves about $200.

My questions as a first time visitor are many, but for now, do they generally offer other deals similar to this (or better??) in the fall? What are crowds like in early September vs later September? And might it be worth it to stay off site to save money instead of trying to plan around this deal?

Thanks in advance for any insight you can share!

Hi! I'm a full time single parent to three kids in the US. I'm in school full time and work two jobs, and quite frankly don't have the energy to keep up with the tech. I'm trying, I really am, but it's a lot. I did search this thread and other sites/threads for information, but didn't find quite what I'm looking for.

My oldest is newly 13 and right now has an Apple Watch that is used to stay in touch with me when she bikes home from school, etc. She also has an iPad, which I don't love, but I digress. I also use exclusively Apple products because it's easy.

Our phone carrier had a deal where we could add a line for $5 a month, so I did it. My mom has an old iPhone 12 that she gave me to use for that line. I *could* do the thing and lock down that iPhone for my teen, but parental controls on the watch and iPad have been cumbersome to stay on top of and I know there are entire spaces on the internet devoted to helping kids get around these.

For this reason, I've looked into other phones like Pinwheel, Wisephone, Bark, etc., but ideally would like to be able to use it on our existing carrier (Verizon). I don't think Bark does this, but I know Wisephone and maybe Pinwheel do. I would like to give her the option of having GPS and possibly a virtual wallet, but am not set on that.

Most importantly, she is very depressed, and I know that a phone will certainly not help that. The biggest thing for me is keeping her away from screen addiction as best I can, which she already struggles with on the locked down iPad (I allowed Spotify and found her scrolling the music video clips on repeat to get that dopamine hit).

What kind of phone situation has worked for your young teen and helped mitigate small screen addiction? (We have conversations about this kind of stuff often, but mental illness and peer pressure are real things that make it difficult even when one *knows* something is not good for them).

To preface, I did read a ton of other posts about short trips. Many of them were a few years old or more, so just posting to see if there are any current tips based on what I've found!

My kids and I (34F, kids are 12, 8, 6) are spending 4 days in Yosemite. We recently went last September and hit some of the main points (though my oldest and I were both quite sick so missed a lot due to lack of energy). Because the Merced river is likely too high for rafting or swimming, I'm thinking of spending a day in Sequoia and/or Kings Canyon. Here's what I've come up with for Sequoia:

• One of the visitor centers to get our passports stamped, and maybe a junior ranger program?
• Hospital Rock for the petroglyphs (brief)
• Hanging Rock for some fun pictures (hopefully brief?)
• Morro Rock
• Crescent Meadow (I initially took this one off, but my kids enjoyed El Capitan Meadow at Yosemite so... maybe?)
• All of the Trees: Giant Forrest Museum (?), General Sherman tree/trail, Congress trail
• Tokopah Falls

We will likely take things slow (neurodivergent kiddos in tow), and take lots of breaks for snacks and such. Is this too much for a day trip from Yosemite for our crew? Are there things I missed or things that maybe aren't worth it? I tried to map things, but if there is a better order for things I appreciate suggestions!