AIBU we leave on holiday tomorrow morning and …

Exactly! The 8am deadline will not happen.

@Sundaybananas its always the same!! women spend a good few weeks getting holiday ready! beauty salon visited, legs done, clothes washed, clothes ironed, new stuff bought, all laid out in a spare bedroom ready to go in case. Men on the other hand! well my man. out to town and buys one named polo shirt and that is it. everything else is folded up including linen trousers and holiday shirts and shorts! if he thinks for one minute that I am spending my holiday time ironing then he can think on! this is why, when you go on holiday, women are all done and smart, up to the 9's and the men look like they are dressed in rags!!!

First time I let teens pack one dd turned up wearing flip flops with no other shoes packed... Walking trip in Scotland..
Dh didn't pack a towel. I made him go source one while we relaxed...

The problem with it being a UK holiday is that I guess you'll be driving. It would be better if you had a plane or ferry to catch, because it means you HAVE to leave by a certain time and if they are not properly ready, tough.

Whereas, I see in your future a long and painful morning tomorrow where you are ready to get on the road and nobody else is. They'll all be rolling their eyes at you and telling you calm down and chill and stop stressing about the time, while they blow dust off their suitcases and start looking for specific T shirts and saying 'Muuuum? Where are my black shorts? Did you remember to wash them?'

To be honest the worst thing that you can do is moan. My DM was like this before every holiday and it was bloody awful. You’re simply annoying yourself and creating unnecessary tension within the house. They’re all old enough to do this without you nagging them and they’re aware that there is a tight deadline to pack - yes it may be last minute but of course they’ll get it done. Leave them to it.

DD is a nightmare for last minute packing but I’ll give her credit that she is incredibly efficient + organised once she actually starts. Just one of those people who works best under pressure. She went to Australia a few months ago and started the night before (her flight was at 6am!!) 🤣

If you can’t somehow coerce them into packing tonight, you will not be leaving by 8am…
Try bribery, maybe?

We once went to South Africa for a week as a family when me and my siblings were teenagers and my dad packed one pair of corduroy trousers to last the whole week. He practically boiled to death in them and has been a more conscientious packer ever since!

I don't get why you would need to get up at 6.00am to pack to be ready to leave 8. What are people doing that takes so long!!

Oh my... the 4 hour wash cycle... I'm infuriated on your behalf. This is the sort of thing that would happen in my house too and it drives me insane!

I always leave mine to it! I do me and whatever I am responsible for. One time, despite making it clear how many days we were away for, one of my girls didn't bring many knickers...."You'll have to wash them love" ....shocked and mortified squeaks 🙂 she hasn't done it again!

Same. I can pack in ten minutes. Duplicate toiletries already in wash bag. A week’s worth of underwear and tops, two pairs of shoes and trousers. Makeup bag, kindle and iPad thrown in at last minute.

I'd just leave them to it and if someone isn't ready they'd simply get left behind. My mother was a last-minute faffer and it drove me mad. That said, it's undoubtedly a good thing that I never had children.

This.
I would just do it even if only so that I could have a nice holiday, without having to listen people moaning about not having enough clothes or whatever, or not being able to do xy or z because they forgot some gear.

Are you driving? If so just leave when you have stated, 8am. If you aren't the driver then you'll be stuck with when the driver is willing to leave, annoying as that is.

Though I note it will have to be 9am latest anyway so tough titty if they forget anything. I can pack very quickly. What takes the time is compiling/adding to the packing list (on and off) in the days before. I expect they've given it zero thought.

Exactly this.

Mine could all pack for themselves from about 11. We had the occasional forgotten swim trunks but mostly they had the right number of pants. Or, if they didn't, they didn't feel the need to tell me and just got on with it.

Exactly, they are old enough to pack their own suitcases. Leave them to it.

28, you have to treat a 28 yr old like a teen, how did that happen

But does that weak position just lead to teens doing nothing at all, and then blaming you because they don’t have x,y and z. We have loving family but it’s also respectful because I refuse to become a doormat. I think we should be raising independent, self sufficient young adults personally. This is not a dig at you, as a life long people pleaser I can not talk, but I have realised we have to raise the bar for our dc to become well rounded and capable and not give in for an easy life.

This. The only thing I care that anyone else has brought is their passport if flying abroad.

Everything else they can do without or deal with the consequences of not bringing it.

Leave them to it. My DD has been packing for herself since her trip to Llangrannog (a,rite of passage for South Wales children ) in Year 6.

I have teens. It would be a hard choice in this house:

6am alarm and pack in the morning
Or their cases are ready by 9.45pm

This gives them autonomy and choice without disrupting your morning and start to the holiday.

Everyone would choose a few tasks to do be it cooking or cleaning whilst away.

Do whatever will give you the best holiday. Assuming they’re kind nice, family members usually I’d help them out a bit so the holiday is fun. I can see it’s annoying but aren’t we all in our own ways.