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

What do you mean? She works long days and is happy to have had a lovely week long holiday where she was able to give her dd her undivided attention.

Isn't the eternal juggling act?

I've never understood it either. I love taking our children on holiday, we have 6 and they all really enjoy it. I dont class self catering as a holiday for me, that literally is same work, different house, but they all have a great time. I think they all actually get on better when we're away.

I’m on a similar trip with a 4 year old right now. And it’s still just as OP describes. Yes there have been a few tears here and there (one tantrum because we threw some rubbish in the bin that he wanted kept 🙃) but I’m not cooking, cleaning, we are spending our time swimming and sunbathing and it’s way better than being at home. We also did a self-catering caravan holiday last year in UK and I felt the same about that too even though the weather was worse.

Your OP comes across as really smug. An all inclusive with one toddler who sleeps is of course going to to be easier than other holidays. We went to centre parks with my in-laws when my eldest was that age and I have awful flashbacks to pushing her around in the pram at 1am to get her to sleep.

It’s lovely that you had a lovely holiday and I’m sure this thread would make anyone struggling feel amazing.

Also, don’t forget that an easy child at 18m might not be as easy when they’re older.

When she said

“ it's been bliss and I would 10/10 recommend people go and do it. “

I mean good for you OP but not everyone lives the same life. A lot of parents DO find it hard parenting on holiday and that can be for a variety of reasons. Maybe you will find it tricky one day, or maybe you won’t. I found it difficult with DC1 because they would not sleep and then were up at the crack of dawn so I was utterly exhausted. Some kids don’t sleep well when they’re away from home and you end up shattered. Now that I have two DC it is tiring because they are both on different body locks. Does it mean I never have fun on holiday? No. But do I often return home completely exhausted? Yes.

Irrelevant, the title of the thread is '"holidays with small children is just parenting in a different place"

Oh come on, read the op and follow up posts

she doesn’t want to talk about her holiday

It massively depends on the child/children. I'm honestly happy for people (and envious) who have lovely biddable babies and toddlers who can sleep anywhere and are unfazed by extra stimulation, different food etc.

It does sometimes seem that people who have easy babies really don't understand. Joe Wicks used to wang on about how you have to travel with small kids, it's fine, it's easy, they love it etc. He now got 4 and I've noticed he doesn't say it any more so perhaps the youngest two were a bit more... challenging.

My first baby would only sleep in a cot in the dark. Great when we were at home. Dreadful anywhere else, he'd get overtired and scream. We just didn't go on holiday until he was 2 and a half. But by then his favourite activity was running off. Airport, ran off. Hotel, ran off. Swimming pool, ran off. Restaurant, ran off. I actually used to lose weight on holiday because I was constantly running after him. It was not relaxing at all! Our second was a bolter as well and a mega fussy eater. Once they got to 7 or so, holidays were a joy again but the early years were HARD work.

Eh? Where did she say that?

She said it was as she expected, and rough in parts.

I feel people who say ‘I was only doing caravan parks type of hols and did the same thing than at home but in a caravan’ wouldn’t say ‘I’ve been going away on hols with dh in a caravan park. It wasn’t a hols. Just doing the same things in a caravan rather than at home’.

they wouldn’t say that because it presumably wouldn’t be the same with dh? Dinners out? Drinking cocktails on the terrace? Lie ins?

I am definitely in your tribe OP. I always loved my holidays with two DCs when they were younger. We always went 'self catering' too though we never self catered apart from a bit of breakfast and a bbq perhaps - we would eat out most of time. DH and I absolutely loved our holidays and our DCs have wonderful memories of those times that they are now beginning to recreate with their own DCs.

There was no same shit different place. Always loved being a parent and loved spending time with my DCs and I still do. Just my take on things!

Try doing that with two fighting teenagers as a single parent and see how much fun it is.

As a single parent I like to holiday with parents / siblings so my kids don’t out number me 😜.

Ive read a few of the parenting in a diff place and I think some of the challenges come from a mixture of expectations, shit DPs that have hogged all the free time and kids that sound like they might have SEN.

I flew long haul to meet up with family when DC were 4 and just turned 2. It was much easier on my own than with their dad who would complain he only got to watch two movies…

But the OP is saying it's not hard and that you should go anyway.

I agree with you @LadyGreyjoy

I feel people who say ‘I was only doing caravan parks type of hols and did the same thing than at home but in a caravan’ wouldn’t say ‘I’ve been going away on hols with dh in a caravan park. It wasn’t a hols. Just doing the same things in a caravan rather than at home’.

Yes self catering isn’t as ‘easy’ than a fully inclusive hols. Yes you have more to do. It doesn’t mean it’s not a hols.

And it’s also ok to go away with al all inclusive. Many people do!! I’m not sure why you’re been criticised for that!

Its like the fact you dint experience things like them is making you somehow wrong/making people feel bad etc….

Yes I’m never sure of the point if these smug threads ( although the my smugness is way heartier as I know what OP has to come especially if she has more kids!
and of course because those hideous -fun but hard work- holidays are well and truly over now for me !)

It reminds me of those first time mums whose baby sleeps through the night from day 21 as if it’s a reflection on them personally and proudly tells everyone - but especially their frazzled counterparts with eyes hanging out if their heads, demented with sleep deprivation.
lol to first time mums
all been there but tone it down love!

I think that's a bit unfair. It's posters being cats bum faced to OP, she just had a holiday and wants to talk about it, nowt wrong with that.

But why go? It's obvious a self catering holiday with 2 under 3 will be hard work.
I didn't have an easy one ds didn't sleep through the night until he was 3 so we didn't take him abroad until then! What I don't understand is people who do go then complain it was hard. Well yes.

And not many would want it tbh

I'm glad for you op but I feel the most it isn't this rosy

Not everyone can afford all inclusive holidays, OP, strange as it may seem! 😮

Imagine having the Op as your DM or MIL?

You would never dare open up and confide how you feel because the cats bum expression on the OP’s face would say it all

You have 1 child and went all inclusive. That so isn’t the reality for most families. I don’t think you really get to speak and decide what holidays are like for everybody on that basis.

Never been all inclusive,not my bag.
I’ve been married 35 years with 3 grow up children.Wherever we went was on a budget and self catering. Managing 3 is a world away to 1 so yeah it was the same parenting woes but in a different location. Exhausting and stressful. Would I do it all again? Yes but it is what it is and feel other parents should be aware before shelling out shedloads as you often come back feeling more exhausted than when you went.

Kids have amazing memories though.

Sorry but having x1 child on holiday and x2 adults is absolutely nowhere near comparable to taking x2 or more children. One adult takes the child, the other gets a break. Try taking a baby and toddler or toddler and preschooler and then write back and let us know if it’s relaxing!!!

Also many people just don’t have the money to spend £££ on an all inclusive abroad that might be a break, it might not be, and they might all enjoy a caravan holiday just as much. We couldn’t justify the cost as we needed the money for other urgent things and the baby didn’t care if they were abroad or not

there are always lots of posts on mumsnet too about how parents of x1 enjoy the school holidays so much with such a calm child when we are in the trenches negotiating everything, calming arguments and trying to please multiple ages!!