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To not understand the "holidays with small children is just parenting in a different place" complaints?

563 replies

LadyGreyjoy · 03/11/2025 14:42

We have an 18 month old and have just got back from a week all inclusive in Spain. Obviously we did just parent out daughter in a different place, but I don't see that as a bad thing and certainly not a reason to say there was no point in going. I love being a mum, I waited a long time for my daughter due to infertility and I've been dreaming of family holidays for years. Whilst I still had to do the parenting (which I enjoy doing anyway) I didn't have to cook, wash up or clean, the food was lovely and far better than we cook at home, I did no laundry for a week and instead of working all day and only getting two hours in the evening with my daughter a day I got to play in the pool/on the beach with her all day every day for a week. After she was asleep instead of watching TV and being too tired to do anything we sat on the balcony listening to the music from the bar and drank cocktails and chatted, real quality time with my husband I am usually too tired to enjoy.

On here there are many threads making out a holiday with small children is shit and not worth the effort and that hasn't been my experience at all. The journey there and back was a bit rough and exactly what I expected it to be like tbh. Other than that it's been bliss and I would 10/10 recommend people go and do it. I was kind of dreading it after reading all the threads here but I wish I hadn't worried about it so much now.

OP posts:
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DappledThings · 08/11/2025 14:16

SophieJo · 08/11/2025 14:10

Quite often on threads, I’m left wondering if the OP will come back. Why on this one am I hoping to goodness she doesn’t?😂

If you really meant that you wouldn't resurrect a thread that died two days and that OP hasn't been on for three days just to provoke her.

SophieJo · 08/11/2025 14:10

Quite often on threads, I’m left wondering if the OP will come back. Why on this one am I hoping to goodness she doesn’t?😂

Aimtodobetter · 06/11/2025 08:52

2 adults to a (well behaved) one child at a relatively easy age in a very well set up place is probably the reason you had a good time.

LizzieW1969 · 06/11/2025 08:49

I can see why it would have been a real, lovely break for the OP, as she’s a working mum and, it appears, doesn’t see as much as she would like of her DD. And a lovely all-inclusive holiday with an easy 18 month old. Plus, she hadn’t been away for a long time, and it was their first time away with their DD.

The OPs who complain that holidays mean ‘same shit different location’ are mostly SAHMs/part-time or on maternity leave, which means that of course it won’t feel so much like a break for them! (That’s how I felt.) It doesn’t mean that we didn’t want to go on the holiday or that we didn’t enjoy giving our DC new experiences.

The really bad holiday threads where OPs wish they hadn’t gone tend to be where the relationship with their partners is on the rocks and they were left to do all the work whilst their partner disappeared to the pub. Which would be a shit holiday for anyone.

IsMNRoff · 06/11/2025 07:46

Pion33r · 06/11/2025 07:31

But my kids would have hated it and holidays aren’t just about the adults! I think experiencing other cultures is important. Blowing 5 years of money to be tied up in one holiday in an all inclusive hotel wouldn’t have been in their best interest or mine! Wed have all gone nuts. What little we had we spread out for cheaper experiences that kept us going but yes often felt like same shit in a different location. However pulling a meal together on a budget with squabbling kids under my feet in an Amsterdam apartment or tent in France are all experiences they learnt a lot from. My time for relaxation on holiday is now as I come up to retirement.

Yes
my point was… to see the op as privileged and stealth boasting is far off the mark

Pion33r · 06/11/2025 07:31

IsMNRoff · 06/11/2025 07:04

I think most people would be able to save for 5 years to take a just 1 week AI to Spain out of peak season for 2 adults!

But my kids would have hated it and holidays aren’t just about the adults! I think experiencing other cultures is important. Blowing 5 years of money to be tied up in one holiday in an all inclusive hotel wouldn’t have been in their best interest or mine! Wed have all gone nuts. What little we had we spread out for cheaper experiences that kept us going but yes often felt like same shit in a different location. However pulling a meal together on a budget with squabbling kids under my feet in an Amsterdam apartment or tent in France are all experiences they learnt a lot from. My time for relaxation on holiday is now as I come up to retirement.

NoMoreBrownSofas · 06/11/2025 07:24

I know..we are one step from 'your mum'

IsMNRoff · 06/11/2025 07:20

NoMoreBrownSofas · 06/11/2025 07:15

Totally agree and the way OP has some interacted with posters is as passive aggressive, childish and petty as they have been.doesn't scream happy at all and seems to be obsessed with having the last word

It will go down like a lead balloon with this op though. Expects fisticuffs!

NoMoreBrownSofas · 06/11/2025 07:15

IsMNRoff · 06/11/2025 07:10

Oh I totally agree

the op is being daft but I suspect there’s more to this. Who comes back from a first supposedly wonderful holiday in 5 years and thinks… I know what I’ll do, start a mumsnet thread about my lack of comprehension about how people have different holiday experiences unless… well, doesn’t exactly scream a happy person generally does it?

and if you knew you had another 5 years to wait (and then would be much more as not out of season due to school age child) maybe you’re feeling a bit blue!

Totally agree and the way OP has some interacted with posters is as passive aggressive, childish and petty as they have been.doesn't scream happy at all and seems to be obsessed with having the last word

IsMNRoff · 06/11/2025 07:10

Pion33r · 06/11/2025 06:55

That type of holiday is not open to everyone and does not speak for all holidays. Being deaf to that fact and that the holiday experience varies hugely for people for a variety of reasons- finance, circumstances, SEND, disability etc is pretty privileged.

Oh I totally agree

the op is being daft but I suspect there’s more to this. Who comes back from a first supposedly wonderful holiday in 5 years and thinks… I know what I’ll do, start a mumsnet thread about my lack of comprehension about how people have different holiday experiences unless… well, doesn’t exactly scream a happy person generally does it?

and if you knew you had another 5 years to wait (and then would be much more as not out of season due to school age child) maybe you’re feeling a bit blue!

IsMNRoff · 06/11/2025 07:04

wordler · 06/11/2025 06:28

I think used the word privileged first and I realize now that I meant lucky not privileged.

Lucky to have been able to book a nice holiday and lucky that no external factor spoilt it like food poisoning or bad weather etc.

I think most people would be able to save for 5 years to take a just 1 week AI to Spain out of peak season for 2 adults!

Pion33r · 06/11/2025 06:55

IsMNRoff · 06/11/2025 06:25

I can’t believe the Op has been described as privileged and “stealth boasting”

This was a 1 week holiday and she hadn’t been on holiday for 5 years!!

That type of holiday is not open to everyone and does not speak for all holidays. Being deaf to that fact and that the holiday experience varies hugely for people for a variety of reasons- finance, circumstances, SEND, disability etc is pretty privileged.

wordler · 06/11/2025 06:28

IsMNRoff · 06/11/2025 06:25

I can’t believe the Op has been described as privileged and “stealth boasting”

This was a 1 week holiday and she hadn’t been on holiday for 5 years!!

I think used the word privileged first and I realize now that I meant lucky not privileged.

Lucky to have been able to book a nice holiday and lucky that no external factor spoilt it like food poisoning or bad weather etc.

IsMNRoff · 06/11/2025 06:25

I can’t believe the Op has been described as privileged and “stealth boasting”

This was a 1 week holiday and she hadn’t been on holiday for 5 years!!

wordler · 06/11/2025 06:14

Wow - came back to the thread and it seems to have got a little heated. I’m not trying to get involved in a pile on, I don’t think posters should bring personal insults into it.

I admit though I’m finding it a little frustrating that the OP is still missing the point that the premise in her original post is wrong.

(At least on Mumsnet anyway, if the OP has people in her real life who are making this complaint differently then fair enough)

The vast majority of people on MN who have a specific moan about a holiday with kids being just parenting in a different location, is because their experience on that holiday gave them no relief from all the normal parts of life - they were still shopping for food, cooking, cleaning, washing clothes and towels, tidying up after multiple family members etc, cleaning bathrooms.

OP - you had a an actual holiday because as you said yourself - someone else was making the bed, cooking your food, cleaning up after cooking your food, presumably cleaning your room and bathroom each day, replacing your towels.

In addition you have a supportive spouse, an easy baby who goes to sleep at a reasonable hour so that you could have lovely grown up time with your spouse.

It sounds absolutely lovely - there’s no post on Mumsnet of someone having your holiday experience and complaining about it being just parenting in a different location.

So where are all these scaremongering posts?

People on your thread have talked about different challenges they have faced but everyone has mostly said it was still worth it over the course of many holidays - some being great, some being absolute horrors for reasons beyond their control and everything in between.

I do know I have read the occasional post on MN where posters are in despair about their holiday and wish they’d not bothered but all those posts involve something bad happening for the poster.

NoMoreBrownSofas · 05/11/2025 18:44

I don't understand why my previous comment was deleted? I commented on the banned poster?!

NoMoreBrownSofas · 05/11/2025 18:39

Let's hope not, Lord only knows how stressed she'll get

Roodleflip · 05/11/2025 18:32

is it another 5 year wait for your next holiday?

NoMoreBrownSofas · 05/11/2025 18:09

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

LadyGreyjoy · 05/11/2025 18:01

Pion33r · 05/11/2025 17:48

Banned? Don’t you mean deleted?

No, banned. Every comment they have made on this thread has been deleted. That means they've been banned.

Confirmed by the fact they haven't been back since that happened.

OP posts:
Pion33r · 05/11/2025 17:54

LadyGreyjoy · 05/11/2025 14:00

I agree the first few pages were an interesting discussion.

I didn't have a set response in mind though I was expecting a.fair few people moaning about privilege as that's always the way here. A lot of posters have agreed with my perspective and given different examples of how they've enjoyed their holidays with kids, even unconventional ones. The camping stories from the posters who clearly enjoy camping have given me the push to consider taking little one camping next summer as I miss camping since having her. The poll is pretty evenly split it's not a massive swing either way which I expected.

I certainly didn't expect a pack of attack dogs to rip my life apart that really is unhinged.

You’ve encouraged it and have deliberately posted provocative and goady posts .

Activealways · 05/11/2025 17:53

I can’t see any bullying. Just disagreeing or pitying.

and I can’t see you . I enjoy sticking it to a bully just getting angry and defensive

Pion33r · 05/11/2025 17:52

LadyGreyjoy · 05/11/2025 15:35

Thanks for your concern, it comes across as genuinely warm and kind hearted.

The comments actually aren't making me feel horrible or upsetting me, because they are completely wrong. They don't mean anything to me because they are completely inaccurate and do nothing but make the posters look ignorant. I feel so lucky to have my life with my family and animals in our quiet but of country side that no amount of derision could make me sad about it.

I do admit, since they dug their teeth in I'm enjoying winding them up and wasting their time. I hate bullies and there are many of them on Mumsnet. It upsets me seeing other posters get bullied and then just disappearing, clearly upset and chased away from their own thread. I enjoy sticking it to a bully by laughing at them and wasting their time because it makes them really angry not to get their own way.

How is disagreeing with you and your quite outrageous comments bullying. Actually deliberatly goading is not the type of behaviour MN accept on threads.

Activealways · 05/11/2025 17:51

LadyGreyjoy · 05/11/2025 17:29

Oh another one 🙄

You're two days late for the pile on love. It's over now ended with a well deserved ban and everyone else getting the message.

MN clearly saw the bullying or they wouldn't have banned her.

NEXT!

Edited

You interpret pity as bullying

Pion33r · 05/11/2025 17:48

LadyGreyjoy · 05/11/2025 17:29

Oh another one 🙄

You're two days late for the pile on love. It's over now ended with a well deserved ban and everyone else getting the message.

MN clearly saw the bullying or they wouldn't have banned her.

NEXT!

Edited

Banned? Don’t you mean deleted?

Swipe left for the next trending thread