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Original poster

Ungrateful Teens on Florida holiday

536 replies

WatermelonWaveclub · 13/09/2025 18:54

I brought my 3 teens (18, 16 and 13) to Florida to celebrate my eldest's 18th. Honestly it has been a nightmare. Every morning they refuse to get up. We end up leaving for the day's activity hours late. At least one usually refuses to come. Then we end up rushing around with the youngest upset we don't have time to do everything they want. When we get home late and I just want to sleep I am expected to sort food for whoever stayed back at the hotel. Then they stay up late keeping me awake. I'm exhausted!

The main thing they seem to want to do is stay in bed on their phones! Noone seems to worry about wasting a lot of money on activities they don't attend or any thought to making the most of a holiday they are very lucky to be on! No care about me missing out on things I'd like to do or their sibling would like to do. They were fully aware of what the holiday would involve and said they would like to go on the holiday. For example they knew there would be a lot of swimming. One has point blank refused to swim and the other 2 will swim hypothetically but have not once been in the hotel pool with me in almost a week and both just layed on sunloungers on their phones at the water park yesterday.

How would you deal with this situation?

OP posts:
Everybodysinthehousetonight · 13/09/2025 20:54

This sounds like a wind up. Who is their right mind would choose a holiday like this at this time of year for this age group 🤣

Vaxtable · 13/09/2025 20:54

I would try and find early flights home and would never take them away again

Bringmeahigherlove · 13/09/2025 20:52

spoonbillstretford · 13/09/2025 20:38

Maybe because taking someone's phone away over choice of activity on holiday and throwing people in the pool, and warning them of "consequences when you get back" on holiday would be supremely utterly fucking shit parenting and really make for an absolutely delightful atmosphere on a family holiday? Just an idea.

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I disagree. It sounds like those kids need to know their mother has had enough!

monkeysox · 13/09/2025 20:52

Don't take such disrespect from your own children.

IdaGlossop · 13/09/2025 20:51

spoonbillstretford · 13/09/2025 20:38

Maybe because taking someone's phone away over choice of activity on holiday and throwing people in the pool, and warning them of "consequences when you get back" on holiday would be supremely utterly fucking shit parenting and really make for an absolutely delightful atmosphere on a family holiday? Just an idea.

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Clamp down early and you don't need to resort to extreme measures. OP has two DC out of three who are creating what sounds like an absolutely delightful atmosphere on a family holiday. She has come to MN because she doesn't know what to do about it. I've added my suggestions. Like you, OP is free to reject them.

For typo

Bringmeahigherlove · 13/09/2025 20:51

Ungrateful and lazy wankers. Don’t beat around the bush, let them know this is the case.

spoonbillstretford · 13/09/2025 20:38

IdaGlossop · 13/09/2025 19:14

How have they behaved in previous holidays? You sound very indulgent of them and lacking in authority. You're the parent! Why aren't you taking their phones away, shoving them into the pool, leaving them to sort their own food out, and making it clear what consequences there will be when you get home if they don't buck their ideas up? Have you agreed with them the evening before what you will do together the following day? Given them options eg an expectation that they spend half the day on family things and half the day with the two oldest doing what they want? What leverage do you have over them as far as money is concerned?

For typo

Edited

Maybe because taking someone's phone away over choice of activity on holiday and throwing people in the pool, and warning them of "consequences when you get back" on holiday would be supremely utterly fucking shit parenting and really make for an absolutely delightful atmosphere on a family holiday? Just an idea.

Pallisers · 13/09/2025 20:38

Just drop the rope with the older two. Get up and go out with your youngest and enjoy the day. Don't even call them to get up. tell the hotel that they are not allowed to charge to the room - be very clear on this. leave 20 dollars for food for them. It is their loss.

Baninarama · 13/09/2025 20:33

You need to re-think the plans - one day off (for the teens - you and youngest can still do stuff), one day on. And on the 'on' days, those phones are confiscated / rationed and they should be told to buck up, stop wasting your money and enjoy the world around them.

Scarlettpixie · 13/09/2025 20:31

I wish people would stop saying that all teenagers want to do is be on their phones. My son can be glued to his but if I took him to Florida he would not be lazing around refusing to do stuff, he would want to make the most of it. OP you do need to build in some down time and not expect to start too early but yanbu to expect then to engage especially given the cost and that they said they wanted to come.

spoonbillstretford · 13/09/2025 20:28

Perhaps it is all a bit much and you need chill out days in between activities? Or let them have more say about what they do and what time you leave?

Personally that kind of holiday, theme parks, thousands of people steaming hot humid weather I'd find knackering and it would fairly jangle my nerves and make me want to lie in a dark air-conditioned room for a bit. And half a day doing that after a chilled out morning would be ample.

Probablyshouldntsay · 13/09/2025 20:28

Lucky devils OP. Feel free to take me next time 😅are they not much into the coasters / theming? Either way I think you’re fine to give them a short swift bollocking reminding them you’re a human and confining the phones to the safe for at least 5 hours a day. They’ll cringe at their behaviour in the future.

thatsalad · 13/09/2025 20:27

Leave them to it and do your own thing. Let them sort out their own food, they are old enough. One day they will realize how lucky they are and will regret their behavior.

2015pls · 13/09/2025 20:23

Needmorelego · 13/09/2025 20:16

Well every other post seems to be "why aren't they in school" 😂😂
It's not relevant.

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”every other post” 😆

Tiredforfive45 · 13/09/2025 20:23

Op, there is loads of stuff to do in the evenings in Florida (assuming Orlando, area?). Why don’t you try to adjust to their time zone and get up later and stay up later?
if there are things you and youngest want to do early on, then crack on and come back for the older 2 later on.
We did a few ‘split days’ in Florida, just to avoid the hottest part of the day. theme park/ water park in the morning, back for a few hours to rest and recharge and then out for the late afternoon/evening.

coxesorangepippin · 13/09/2025 20:21

What did you expect???

If they have phones, yes, they'll be on them???

Rowen32 · 13/09/2025 20:18

Vaguelyclassical · 13/09/2025 19:05

Why Florida? The older teens are obviously far too old for Disney and it's a rather flat state with some everglades full of nasty biting things; there are also rather a lot of people in unbecoming red baseball caps. Great beaches, but you didn't need to come to the States for those. (Or to swim in a hotel pool.) You might have done better with a buzzy, interesting city in the US. Or a buzzy interesting city in Europe at a third of the cost. Sorry if I sound snarky, but I'm genuinely interested in the logic here. (But I do sympathize with you--I grew up in genteel poverty and I'd have been down on my knees in gratitude if my own parents took me out of the country!)

I've known almost 20 year old go on family holidays to Florida and love it so not sure that's the issue..

OwlIceCrem · 13/09/2025 20:18

If they were my kids I’d have launched the phones into the lake with the alligators 🐊

Needmorelego · 13/09/2025 20:16

2015pls · 13/09/2025 20:11

”obsessing” 😆

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Well every other post seems to be "why aren't they in school" 😂😂
It's not relevant.

Needmorelego · 13/09/2025 20:15

2015pls · 13/09/2025 20:12

We are all ears @Needmorelego

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My advice was to leave them to it and go off and enjoy herself.

stayathomer · 13/09/2025 20:14

Oh my god op this was us last year and has led to the breakdown of our marriage- dh wanted to go places and do stuff because holiday of a lifetime, we’ve been saving so long for this, we’ll never go again etc etc. I was saying well why don’t we spend some days lounging, others doing the Disney, Florida thing. Cue the family pretty much splitting and non stop arguments. I came home and chatted to friends who had gone to Florida and all said it was a non stop argument, everyone too hot, too tired, grumpy etc etc.
I had so much respect for one of my friends who said she just let them off a number of times, so they’d stay back as long as they did something with her another day. I wish we’d all been mature enough to do that!!!

2015pls · 13/09/2025 20:12

Needmorelego · 13/09/2025 20:10

Why are people obsessing about "they should be in school" - they could be home educated and/or the 16 and 18 year olds could have actually finished school.
Forget about that part and actually give the OP some advice.

We are all ears @Needmorelego

2015pls · 13/09/2025 20:11

Needmorelego · 13/09/2025 20:10

Why are people obsessing about "they should be in school" - they could be home educated and/or the 16 and 18 year olds could have actually finished school.
Forget about that part and actually give the OP some advice.

”obsessing” 😆

Needmorelego · 13/09/2025 20:10

Why are people obsessing about "they should be in school" - they could be home educated and/or the 16 and 18 year olds could have actually finished school.
Forget about that part and actually give the OP some advice.

Marble10 · 13/09/2025 20:09

i don’t have teens but everyone who does who have been away this year have said the same thing!