To say I'm dreading Easter Bank Holidays ?

Op you and your family are not joined at the hip! @Pappadontpreach80

go out and see your mates or whatever it is you want to do

your husband and kids don’t need you with them all weekend

I find this whole post so weird. Why are you being dictated to by your kids so much? They're kids!

You want to go on a day trip for the day, then you tell them that's where you're going and then you all go. Or you leave them at home for a few hours while you go to the pub. 13 is fine to be left with their big bro for a few hours.

And why can't you go out for the day with your mates? I'm sure your husband can cope by himself for a day. He can go out with his mates tomorrow.

You're martyring yourself @Pappadontpreach80 , and there's really no need to. Family like is about compromise, you're not the only one who has to compromise.

Why don't you have any hobbies in common with your DH? Seems a bit strange.

A lot of parents would love for their kids to be so low maintenance and entertain themselves for a weekend so they can do whatever they want.

Do you work fulltime? If so, there is plenty of painting, house maintenance to be done.

We work full time with tween dcs. Sports for them takes up lots of time.

I only get 25 days annual leave, so there is always housework, painting etc to be done.

I know you don"t like doing jobs but that is part and parcel of working full time.

I go food shopping and coffee with dcs Sat am. Sat pm, cleaning, etc. Sat eve, some tidying then sit down and read/tv at 8pm.

Sun am, swimming with dc or a match. Sun pm, some baking, visit parents for an hour. Sun eve, exercise, tv,read. I am NEVER bored.

In fact there is so much to be done that we only go on few afternoon trips a year. We have a week in the sun for hols.

If you work full time with no option to buy hols and do all your own house maintenance then you will NEVER be bored esp if you get to mid 50s and continue all this, despite less energy.

I live on my own. No plans for the weekend as friends are doing family stuff. I’m gonna do a fuckton of housework, a couple of long walks, cook lamb curry tonight, pamper myself and have some lie-ins. Bliss.

There's loads to do but you just sound really stuck in your ways!!
Go for a long walk with your husband and your children who cares if there's a bit of rain, get your wellies on. It's a good chance to talk to each other
Cook a roast dinner and get the family to help
Make a fancy dessert and again get the family to help so it's a group effort
Play a board game
Learn a new skill

Cinema trip? Escape rooms?

OP, why not use this time to find something for you.
Maybe start a new hobby, a craft (I have a million projects on the go!) a new book, a different class at the gym, climb a mountain, whatever floats your boat but get out there and grab life because right now its massively passing you by.

My husband and I are also quite boring and sometimes struggle to know what to do so I’m going to try not to judge you for that.

Things we like to do out of the house are:
Crazy/mini golf
Going to the Arcade Club (retro gaming arcade)
Bowling
Visiting a large garden centre just to potter around and having lunch
Wandering around Ikea for a few hours
Going out for a meal
Going to the seaside
Going to a zoo/aquarium type place
Go Ape
Jogging
Visiting a museum

Basically, we like to be entertained or fed!

& At 15 my mum and dad went on holiday for a week and left me home alone. I LOVED it.

There’s no reason you and DH can’t pop into town and look round then shops and grab lunch or something? Or go for a nice pub lunch? Local…

There must be something to do. If they really have no hobbies or interests then they might aswell save their money and sit in bored watching Netflix

The problem is, even if she is willing to leave her kids at home, there’s nowhere she wants to go anyway.

Exactly! I know lots of people who moved out at 16. When I was 10, I was baking with a friend without adult supervision while her mum nipped to the shops. One time we accidentally caused a fire by leaving a plastic fork on the hob, but also knew to close windows and doors and get out the house. The fire was tiny and went out by itself in a matter of minutes, but the main thing is that we knew exactly what to do and I don’t think we would have had we not had the freedom and responsibility to do things like that. I was expected to help out by cooking lunch for myself and my brother at the age of 15, and I don’t mean sandwiches but a proper hot lunch.

At 13 & 15 they are definitely old enough to be left alone all day, unless there are additional needs. My DD just turned 16 this week and I’ve started to leave her overnight now when I travel for work. She’s absolutely fine, cooks her own meals through choice anyway and is just revising when she’s here alone. I’ve been leaving her in the day since 11, same as her brother. As long as there’s someone who could go in an emergency you’re fine to travel somewhere for the day. I talk to my kids what to do in an emergency - fire alarms etc. My DD travelled to Bangladesh last February age 14 (almost 15) to see her dad who was working overseas. You need to start preparing your kids for looking themselves a bit in mid teens. If they don’t want to do things now is the time to spend time with your DH. You don’t need to go far the first few times.

Why are your CHILDREN telling you how to live your life. By all means let them have some time to game but absolutely no way do you live around that.

I started reading through the comments for ideas because I can relate to this post! My DC are 9 and 12, so definitely too young to be left home all day and too old for Easter hunt trails, visits to Easter bunny etc! It’s so difficult finding things to do as a family now! We’ve recently renovated house so we are constantly working on it over the weekends and it’s also taking up all our cash! This is what we’ve come up with for the weekend. 9 year old had a sleepover, 12 year old has been in and out with mates. Today we are hoping to go for a walk, both kids resisting atm, but if we find a straight path so DD can blade instead and offer a treat we’ll hopefully make it, we are going to family day at races tomorrow and god knows on Monday!

The best years of my life was between 16 and 20. Figuring out life, making a lot of silly mistakes but had a great time figuring it all out. Also learned how to cook some great recipes I still use now! Such fond memories !

I left home at 16 too, worked shifts in a factory & had a flat with my friend. I then got married at 17 & had two daughters by the time I was 19. I'm 70 now.
I would've hated to spend my teens sitting gaming! What a waste of life!

Please OP, get out & enjoy your life, you are only here once, it's not a rehearsal 😉

That’s really lovely. I used to do that as a child and in my teen years, I loved Holy Week.

For the first time ever I've attended Holy week services and I've found it so relaxing and calm.
A distraction from everything else going on in my life and a real time for reflection and renewal.

Own your choices OP. You are actively chosing this and are not wanting to change. Sort it out or accept a boring life.

There are four days to this weekend, don't waste it! Why can't you take one day/even to spend with friends and your husband do the same? That leaves two days!

I agree, your kids don't get to dictate what you do!

Is there anything you enjoy except going to the pub with friends and watching TV?

Tbh, Friday night I just wanna piss off to the pub with DH. But a bit meh just the two of us.

Theres no reason why you and DH shouldn’t be able to go to the pub for a couple hours on a Friday evening….since when did a 13 year old boy get to dictate this? I would nip that in the bud stating this weekend!