To be sick of hearing parents moaning about the summer holidays, minding their kids, not enjoying their kids

[professorsnape]

I've had to up to here with listening to parents moaning about minding their kids, wishing for them to be back to school and out of the house.

Sisters-in-law throwing her eyes up to heaven and sounding jaded when he DD needs a drink/help in toilet/help with a game.

Or friends who just want to keep children quiet by plonking them in front of DVDs, filling them with junk, etc in the hope they'll go off to bed at nighttime.

Look, we've all have off days, believe you me (have DD age 4, 1 year old twin DS) but do we not owe it to our children to have a better attitude, a more positive one? To pretend we have anyway!

FFS, I wish they would roll up their sleeves, switch off the telly, get out in the fresh air, and just enjoy their kids!!!

When they're teenagers and hate our guts we'll regret it!

Rant over

[AtYourCervix]

YANBU.

However, despite me working full time and farming them out all over the place for tha last 4 weeks,my children are driving me nuts and I am rather looking forward to them buggering off back to school and getting out from under my feet. But that's not because the school holidays in particular - more to do with them being teenagers and difficult and argumentative.

[Abbicob]

Totally agree - I am stuck at work and would love to be at home playing with my DD

[AtYourCervix]

For example this morning - I levered them out of bed at 10am and went for a delightful walk in the forest. We picked blackberries and waded through mud.

They moaned about insects, wasps, beetles, spiders. They whinged about prickles and nettles and mud. I picked a bucket load of blackberries. They picked about 7 each then stood around texting and asking when we could go home.

Within 10 minutes of getting home DD2 said 'I'm bored, what can I do?'

I miss the days when blackberrying would last all day and be fun. I miss glue and playdo and pain. I miss disney DVDs. I miss building dens. I miss them being excited by nice things we did.

[cheesesarnie]

yabu,maybe you and yours are enjoying it but me and mine are not.they want to be back at school and i want them to be back at school.weve rolled our sleeves up,switched off the tv,got out in the fresh air but weve had enough!

[AtYourCervix]

paint. not pain.

[AtYourCervix]

I also miss being able to put them to bed at 6.30 and having evenings to myself.

[rightothatsmethen]

Its not the being with the kids part, thats great.
Its the intense stress of trying to juggle work and days off to make sure everyone is happy.

[TrillianAstra]

I hate the phrase "enjoy your kids".

[spudulika]

YABU

I've had to juggle working at home this morning with dealing with a sick dog, breaking up two fights between my boys (one of whom has ASD) and a stroppy pre-teen who has to be forced to do everything except the things you don't want to do.

If I had someone at home cleaning up behind my children, and if the buggers didn't fight and moan so much, and always want to do different things, I'd love the summer holidays.

As it is, I can't wait for them to end.

[keepingupwiththejoneses]

I have 2 sn ds's, one of whom is great you can go out and do things, go places but ds3 can not at all, has has severe asd, learning difficulties and behavioural problems. Ds3 is not safe outside without full restraints and can not be left alone unless asleep, we have been waiting for a walking harness since march when I ask OT for one in preparation for this summer holiday, at the rate they are going we wont even have it for next summer, budget cuts
So yes I moan about my kids during the holidays as I cant even go to the toilet without taking ds3 with me, and making sure he doesn't flood the place at the same time.
So in my case yabu!

[MrsGravy]

Not another one of these threads. Deep sigh. If you have a 4 year old and 1 year olds you haven't actually experienced the school holidays yet have you? As in going from kids at school full time to kids at home full time. It's a big change and one some people struggle with for 6 weeks. But clearly not one you anticipate struggling with EVER over the next 12 years...

[gizzy1973]

I cant wait until the schools go back and normal classes resume - am 33 weeks pregnant with a 20 month old ds and need to get back to normal routine of classes which all close down over the holidays
I love him dearly but am finding things so much harder at the moment

[LemonDifficult]

YABU.

It's great that you're able to have such a good time and good attitude, but that's not that possible for everyone else. Remember how you feel on your 'off days' and don't judge others who are having them.

[SiamoFottuti]

Oh, bite me.

More precious moments bullshit .

[MrsGravy]

Siamo, you put it so much better than I did

[halcyondays]

YABU. Maybe your SIL and friends are having off days too. Or is it only you that's allowed to have an off day?

[MrsJamin]

I have realised that it's not the 6 weeks of being with my children every day I dislike, its the fact that i need to plan different activities every day, it's just exhausting. I like the inexpense and convenience of DS1 going to preschool every morning, and for us to have particular playgroups to go to.

[DrKoothrappali]

YABU

You are over simplifying why some parents are finding the summer holidays tough. You can't fix everything with 'come on, get out, enjoy yourselves', there are plenty of reasons why that isn't an option for some people.

[NLatlarge]

I fail to see why 'parenting' is regarded as an activity in isolation. As something that you can have a positive attuitude about as a lump. As in all aspects of parenting MUST be equally pleasant or you're just not trying hard enough.

God willing I will be parenting my dcs for the rest of my life. Over that 70 (I hope) or so years there will times when Iam passionate about it and times when I would quite like to go to sleep and forget. That's my business and nobody else's. OP - focus on your YOUNG children (teenagers are a totally different case) and fret not about other people's reactions.

[ShirleyKnot]

If you're not enjoying your children maybe you shouldn't have had them?

Not really, I'm not a total cunt.

[paulapantsdown]

ok miss judgeypants OP with your BABIES - that are therefore not ON school holidays!

When you are trying to hold down a part time job, care for your elderly dad and disabled brother, run a small business AND have your kids at home 24/7 - and are trying to make sure they have a fun holiday .... then you can judge others ok?

I have not had one single hour to myself for 5 weeks as my husband has not been able to take one day off. My kids have been camping, to a festival, museum, cinema, park, shops, swimming, had friends over, picnics, football matches, etc etc etc .... Its my job to make sure they have a great holiday, like my mum did for us. This does not mean its not FUCKING EXHAUSTING.

Do you think because am tired and fed up means I love my kids less than you, or "enjoy them" (boak) less thank you?

You have pissed me right off.

[hazeyjane]

We have had a great Summer holiday on the whole, but do you know what, today i have a bad back from carrying my developmentally delayed 14 month old around all day, dd1 and 2 (5 and 4) are climbing the walls, because i am painkillered up to the eyeballs and really don't feel like going to the park - i just want to lie on the floor tbh, but instead I am baking cakes and trying to find ways to keep ds happy without carrying him, and dd2 has watched Alvin and the Chipmunks 3 times today. Today I really want them to go back to school, and i think they would quite like to go too.

Oh, sorry, yes YABU.

[zelda1982]

Its not the fact I hate being with my kids (i dont) its that I cannot do something with them every single day. Even though i dont work, i still have housework to do, meals to cook etc. Like monday I took them to local market then funfair we got back around 3:30. I would have loved a sit down with a cup of tea for a bit but i had to get straight on with making tea, then bath -bed etc. I dont stop from 8am-ish (usually 7:30) until after 8 when they are in bed. At least when they are at school i can have 15 mins with a cuppa (in peace) which will recharge me for the rest of the day.

Plus of course funds is a big issue, theres no-where local to walk to except from a small playpark, need a car to go places, which costs petrol etc.

[TrillianAstra]

[like] Shirley