Abroad with only child and feel like I'm not entertaining enough??

Ignore the first reply it's a load of crap. There's 11 years between me and my sibling so effectively an only child (I haven't seen them in.... gosh..... 20 years?!) and I never wished for a sibling.

Meh , my only refuses to engage with any other kids on holiday. It’s me and her time apparently. Yay me!

First reply is rubbish! I'm sure your little boy is having a wonderful time and enjoying having mum and dad's full attention. Please don't feel bad - I have 5 children and have often felt bad for not always being able to give them individual time and attention. There are pros and cons however big or small your family is! Relax and have a lovely holiday 😊

Pay no heed. My only is more than happy to do stuff with us. She says she’d hate to have an annoying siblings and a squad of family kids would be her worst nightmare! More than an hour with a group of friends and she is done.

Loved holidays with my parents too, i base my holidays now on how they used to be.

I have two kids but elder has autism, her younger sister often played with other dc who were only children. The trick is to take holidays where they can make friends or do organised activities rather than just hanging out with you all the time (some hanging around with parents is good, just think about variety)

I was an only child who did lots of hols with my parents and didn’t need separate entertainment as doing touristy things, nice meals, walks, swimming in the sea was the entertainment! As an adult DH and I only do holidays with each other and we don’t need entertainment or large groups as the activities and company is enough. It’s good for your son to learn how to enjoy his time without always needing people/other kids to entertain him. My nightmare as a kid and adult was group holidays as there’s always a ring leader you end up having to follow and don’t have freedom to do your own thing. Your child doesn’t need organised fun, he needs to explore and experience new places/cultures and his imagination which you can enable.

I have two (one pre-teen and one teen) and they can't stand eachother at the moment, we end up separating on holiday most of the time so they have one on one time each with me and DH.

I'm an only child and unfortunately my mother and her partner were absolute dicks, but I imagine being an only child of two people who love and care about you (and take you on fun holidays) is absolutely awesome. Your DS will be living his best life right now.

I'm sure he loves being with you. FWIW I have two children and as a single parent often feel I'm not as entertaining for them as I would be if I had a partner to help pick up the slack (a nice partner no like my exes).

If you are staying with family is he getting a lot of attention from them? I always over plan holidays and try to look at what activities and things are to do locally, when they were younger I looked for kids clubs as well so they could make friends.

Ignore the first reply, jeez. I don’t think you are projecting, maybe I do too though. I often feel this way when we go away with our wonderful DD who is an only child. She has said a few times over the years she wishes she had a sibling and it does make you feel rubbish when you can’t give them a brother or sister. As others have said, we go away just us but more often than not with family and friends. It really makes a difference when she has friends or family to play with as we are definitely boring now she’s a bit older!

We only have one DC. He has loads of friends and spends time with them. He also has family hols with us and the 3 of us have a good time. It's perfectly normal and you will probably raise a child with independent values who can enjoy his own company as well as yours and his mates

Yeah sorry, op. I was also an only child and really found it quite lonely without other kids around. But I'm sure not every only child feels like this.

I couldn’t agree less! My DD is perfectly
happy being an only child. She loves to hang out with me and has often said she’s really glad she doesn’t have a sibling. She looks at sibling groups when we’re out, arguing and squabbling and says she’s very glad she doesn’t have to put up with any of that. She also has no interest in making friends with strangers on holiday. We enjoy each others company and have a great time when we’re away.

I was an only child and some of my happiest memories are of holidays with my parents.
Your son is happy and that is more important than comments from people who don’t even know you.
Enjoy your time together

OP, my dd’s best friend is an only child and she tells my dd how great it is to have all the attention to herself. My dd is jealous 😆

You sound like a wonderful mum and if your child seems content I would be pleased with that.

I had a sibling growing up and he would bully me and was a cause of unhappiness in my life. I would play with friends, and can’t remember him playing with me except when we were very very little. Having a sibling is not always the best.

As others have said - a sibling wouldn't automatically equal a 'better' time for your DS! I recently met 2 younger girls (10 and 8) on a camping trip, they were playing with my DD(3), and bickered with each other the whole time. I saw their Dad later on and we got chatting - he mentioned they're always like that, have nothing in common, and that its bad enough that he usually takes them on holidays separately. No-one is looking, no-one is judging, sounds like your son has wonderful devoted parents only concerned with making the holiday the best it can be for him

Gosh that is really harsh, and probably not correct

It really depends on the child and the parents.

I had an older brother and he ignored me from the age of probably 8 until 23. We were just too different to get on. We’re fine now, though not what I’d call close - still too different.

I’m a fun parent on holiday. I like spending time with kids. Other people’s kids love me as I’m happy to be in the pool all day having balls thrown at me, I’m always up for buying ludicrous inflatables and I love a waterpark, never tire of them.

My husband, love him, likes to read newspapers so he’s less kid friendly.

So I guess my point is it is up to you if you provide your child with a fun holiday or not. They probably won’t be holiday with you forever, so enjoy the fun stuff now. Getting them a sibling would not necessarily work even if you could.

I have one child and he loves being the only! Holidays are spent engaging with parents getting quality time or making new friends with other kids. It’s no better or worse than having siblings - just different. Families come in all shapes and sizes! Enjoy your holiday and your family unit.

That was a crap comment from the first person to respond. Maybe this would have been better in the only children board and you could have got some more balanced comments from triangle families

I have an only, DD8 and absolutely love our adventures together. I also do many without Dad coming. Yes there are times I’ve felt guilty in the past but now I know that our family is just right for us. The perk to having an only for me is that my budget is a lot higher for holidays than if I had more than 1. That means we can do lots of awesome adventures together. Her childhood is filled with incredible experiences that I just couldn’t give her with a sibling. My DD is more than happy to spend the time with me but may also find some kids to play with in the play park one day or when she attends the kids club on the Disney cruise. Yes I do a lot more with her than what my parents did with me and my siblings when I was young, but then again, I hope we’ll have a much closer bond from it as she gets older than I do with my parents

Don’t feel guilty, think of the quality time he is getting with you and the experiences he is gaining that you may not have been able to give with more than one

My son would have suited being an only child.

Ignore that first comment.

We have an only not by choice too. Every child is different in what they want. Our child was absolutely fine just holidaying with the three of us up until 9. From then he wanted some other kids around to hangout with. We are not big resort sort of people so have found a flotilla sailing holiday perfect for us. Although our son likes to be able to hangout with other kids he is very happy as an only child and equally appreciates time just with us or chilling on his own. The flotilla sailing holiday works brilliantly as we get during the day sailing and anchoring off places to have lunch, paddleboard and swim etc but in the late afternoon evening he gets to hang out with the other kids on the other boats on the flotilla. We asked him if he would like to have a friend on board with us next time but he said no he wanted his own space.

Not at all. I have an only, he’s 5. I don’t think he ever misses out or feels bored with just adults.

He plays with other kids still in the afternoons, weekends and holidays with a mixture of children he knows and some we don’t ie on holiday he will happily play with children in pool or park he’s just met.

When we go on holiday it’s adults only and him, but we always tailor parts of each day when it’s child focused or activities he would like also.

Ynbu to feel this way but that doesn’t mean you’re right. Currently have one child and not sure what the future of our family will look like due to fertility issues and losses. I’ve definitely felt like this too at times, my daughter is happy with just us but also super sociable and likes to be with other kids. She does often make friends when we’re out and about but I sometimes feel for her that she has to make more effort than those with ready made playmates (I know siblings don’t always get along but it’s easy to see it through rose tinted glasses when you don’t have that).

It’s reassuring to read (most of!) these comments but just wanted to say you’re not alone in feeling a bit inadequate or a little cheated on his behalf at times - Even if neither of these things are true!

I’m sure sometimes parents of multiples feel they don’t have enough time for each child while your son gets your full focus so there really is no right or wrong. Just different families. Hope you have a lovely rest of your trip and enjoy the quality time ☺️