Anyone else had a rubbish school holidays?

Oh the fucking weather :…. If I had t gone away for three weeks at the start,
my vitamin d would be in negative numbers by now 🤣

I live in the NW, it has been cold, windy and pissing it down for most of the summer.
The leaves are turning on the trees and the nights are drawing in so unless we have a miraculous Indian summer that's it.
I usually love Autumn and Winter (Halloween, bonfire night and Christmas!!!) but I feel like I can't cope with anymore grey miserable days. It feels like spring is a long way away and it's just depressing.
Thankfully at 17 and 14 my kids are able to entertain themselves but I have worked through the holidays and I'm shattered, I wouldn't say they have been terrible for me and clearly people have had far worse, just a bit dull and depressing.

Yes. The pattern where we are (south west) has been one fairly sunny warm day which was then followed by a week or more of grey damp chilly days. And repeat. So whenever we got a bright day, you just knew the next day would be grey. And so it was.

💔

So sorry 💛🐾

All these posters ‘confused’ that people have had differing weather conditions over the past six weeks - we are a relatively small island nation and rarely will the whole of the UK, or even the whole of a vague area such as ‘the south coast’ experience identical weather. You don’t have to watch many national weather forecasts to see a lot of difference in temperatures, rainfall, cloud etc.

It’s interesting that people can read the OP and decide the most important thing to do here is tell @Blueybanditbingochilli she’s wrong all wrong about the weather.

We lost dh's gran on the day we were meant to travel down to my mums, 2 days later we should have been flying out on holiday. We had to push it forward 2 weeks, incurring lots of extra expense. Also had to deal with lots of unwanted opinions on us moving it forward rather than cancelling from dh's extended family. Kids were upset for both reasons. Finally got away and dd started being sick half way through the plane journey. We initially thought travel sickness but she was sick for the first 3 days of our week long holiday. Dh and I split up to do stuff with our other two but dd2 lost weight she couldn't afford too lose and it wasn't the relaxing holiday we had needed.
Due to rearranging holiday they missed the week of summer camp I had arranged and they had been looking forward too. I did manage to book them into a few others which was a positive. We booked a few days away for a UK city break however there was a riot a few days before and we weren't sure if it would be safe for us to visit. Decided eventually to go and the kids did have a nice time but the drive down was stressful and we didn't linger at any service stations incase any rioters were meeting/grouping there.

I did enjoy having the kids home despite the squabbling but it wasn't the best of summer holidays.

I’m really sorry to hear this. Keep going.

@Boxachocs @Captainmycaptains and others, just wanted to send you a hug. Sorry you’re going through such an awful time

Lost my mum last week following what feels like the longest summer in history. Feels like I’m running on empty 😭

I have just about had enough as well.
Husband has returned briefly from working abroad for many months of the year. He has not been particularly kind- had an almighty row tonight and I went outside and locked myself in the car in my pyjamas and then drove to the end of the road and sat there for two hours. Otherwise he disappears and I freak out and I can’t cope with that right now
( he’ll choose not to answer his phone and deliberately ignores me)
I don’t work ( husband as I say works abroad . We have two kids. I do it all)
My mental health is not good as it is . I suffer with severe anxiety.
The children have been at each others throats ( but never when my husband is around)
My beautiful elderly Dad has recently been diagnosed with cancer and had life saving surgery two weeks ago.

It’s all a bit of a struggle and to top it off I’m living on Valium and alcohol to help me sleep.

This holiday has been shit.

Yes. Looking after my poorly pug who was eventually PTS on 22nd August 😭 😭

the weather has been pretty consistently unpleasant where I am but in different ways - very very close and muggy with airless nights, or rainy. My work has been stressing me out horribly the whole time I have been either working or "off". I am burnt out and lost my shit this evening in Aldi (where there was NO FOOD, WHY) i just can't face it all starting up again and I haven't remotely had anything approximating to a break. My kids are great, they are 13 and 15 and they are no trouble and good company but everything else is utterly shit and I am not ready to go into a new term at all

It's been bloody awful in Cornwall. Cool, wet and really windy. Feel sorry for the people that spent loads of money to come here then got rained on.

I am confused about the weather, live near Bournemouth and it’s been a nice summer here

sorry if that is no help but you say you are south coast too…

I think it’s the kids ages that is hard and not being able to even have a piss when you need one! Rant away! it is bloody hard and you can’t win as if it’s hot kids get miserable with heat 🥵

bring on the return of school and playgroup 🥂

South east here - weather has been properly sunny for the 6 week hol. Before then it was shocking for months but I can't complain about the weather where I am.
However - I CAN complain about my kids. 4 and 9. Fighting all the time, asking every single fucking day where we are going. I've done all the bloody parks/woodland walks/expensive days out I can handle.Their behaviour together has had me in tears some days. Hope that helps!

My social media is full of friends that are sad their wonderful summers are over. They completed their lovely checklist of activities with their well behaved kids. They don’t seem to work much.lots of boasting on instagram. We made memories for sure but I don’t feel the need to post all the time.

6 weeks is a long time when both parents work full time.

im very anxious about the return to school and seeing if my kids behaviour will spill over into school.

honestly this whole year has been shit.

my daughter is waiting to be assessed so this unknown area is very trying. I sometimes think is it me? Did I do something wrong? Do I work too much? Mum guilt is huge.

But my other kids are completely normal. They are well behaved and just brilliant. That gives me hope that I’m not a completely rubbish parent.

I don't know why people keep complaining about the weather. It's been lovely here. Sunny pretty much everyday and around 22+ degrees.

Sorry you’ve had a crap time, OP - there feels like such pressure to make the most of the summer holidays, but in lots of ways - like you said - it’s just a grind.
My eldest had exams and finished a good five weeks or so before the youngers - so feel like I’ve not had any time to myself for months!
I love my kids but it’s been a long haul this time - struggling financially and not been able to afford days out, etc. it’s a long time to try and fill and still like each other at the end 😆

Not sure if anyone else has mentioned this but as usual more than half my workplace went on holiday the same 3 weeks in August (after I had been in July, just me off then) so we ended up working 3x as hard.

I hear you OP! I booked a very cheap caravan hol in a town and caravan site I knew to be shite but was all we could afford, was greatfull to get away BUT, I was sick of the sight of the youngest 2's pooy bumholes in the tiny lounge with numberblocks on repeat in the rain 😂
Relentless potties and nappies interspersed by a long walk down a steep hill to a stoney beach I couldnt get the pram on. Freezing cold dip in the sea, sand covered crying cold kids in towels to wrestle into clothes, back up the hill for showers in the ancient shower block, then wash all the swimming clothes in the sink, hang them up to drip gently on the charming vista of children watching numberblocks while yet again pooing as the sea dip and relentless snacking every minute has got the whole system going again.
9 year old fights relentlessly with 4 year old every minute unless shes out on the park befreinding sophisticated 12 year olds who come into the caravan and be cheeky wotsits while demanding I let 9 year old come to mini motorbike place on other side of town with them, yeah no.

Yep, mines been shit. There have been the moments of fun and positivity but it’s been mostly shit.

DS with SEN has been gradually declining over the course of the holidays and has reached dysregulation of epic proportions. Last day of the holidays tomorrow and I’m worried he may combust if today is anything to go by.

and I’m also very concerned with how the return to school will go.

I’m in London and we’ve barely had any rain in August. It’s been hot. I’m not gloating because I actually dislike it.

Sorry to everyone who has had truly shit summers. It’s put mine into perspective as we’ve had nothing major happen - not even any minor illnesses! Just been long and shit with a 1 year old and an almost 3 year old. Started out with great expectations, meal plans, activities and at this stage I am too fucked to care about screen time or whether they eat their 5 a day. It’s just firefighting the constant tantrums all day, every day and I am a shell of my former self 8 weeks ago 😅