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

"Poxy caravan holidays"

Wow.

Do look out for a soft landing when you fall from that superior pedestal you are on OP. No-one will be available to try and catch you, as they will be away on their 'poxy caravan holiday' as you so eloquently put it. 🙄

Are you able to have the maturity, self-awareness and grace to reflect and rethink your attitude, based on some of the experiences listed here?

Didn't think you would.

Many people have answered in a reasonable way yet you still can’t reflect, and are focusing instead on giving rude retorts to a minority, where you pretend you don’t care and are finding it all ‘hilarious’ when it’s pretty obvious that that is not the case. Think you perhaps have some growing up to do. Good luck.

Wishing I could go AI and ending up in a self catering caravan for a week (that my DC loved but I did not) is perfectly acceptable for an adult to complain to other adults about and feel hard done by in life. I for one wished I had more money but wasn’t wishing my children away.. the 2 things are not the same thing. You can begrudge your slightly shitty circumstances and still adore your kids at the same time. I did and would sacrifice my sanity for a week in a haven caravan park and give the kids a great time but can still feel fed up cooking pasta on a tiny stove with shit utensils. You don’t love you kids less for it or wish they wasn’t around?

Oh come on! I am one of the people in the circumstances you mention, my children didn't come along easily. I adore them, I would lay down my life in a second for them as I'm sure pretty much all mothers would. There's no question about it. I'm not so self-obsessed as to think that means I love my children more than any other mother, and I'm also realistic enough to admit that as much as I do love them it doesn't mean I also love every single moment of parenting! There are bits that are difficult, boring, frustrating, scary etc. There are all sorts of emotions that go with motherhood, quite obviously, and I am not any less of a 'child cherisher' than you are because I dread the thought of having the "no, you are not having biscuits for dinner again" conversation for the thousandth time, or because there were nights I felt I would have sold a kidney/my husband/either child to get an uninterrupted night's sleep. (Obviously I wouldn't have gone through with selling either child, it was just a nice, momentary fantasy)

Your 'superior mother' rhetoric has put a lot of people's backs up in this thread.

I can't afford all inclusive so our holidays have to be self catering, usually camping. It's fine and we all enjoy it and new experiences are important. But it's still very hard work and it's definitely not a relaxing break for me. Me and dh still have to do everything we do at home plus children can be difficult when not in their usual routine. Mine also argue much more when they spend so much time together. I don't think you can compare an AI in a hotel with one 18 month old with experiences of people self catering with older and multiple kids

What a ludicrous thing to say. I have both. They’re equally cherished. IVF children are no more special and it’s highly offensive to say non IVF children are taken for granted.

Wait until you holiday with teenagers. Whole different ball game and problems.

Part of being a parent is making personal sacrifices for your child/children, the people that complain online that they don't particularly enjoy holidays when they are self catering aren't doing anything wrong, they are just being honest, which is fine, whether they have 1 kid or 4 they are still going on the holidays that the kids love, the fact that it is such hard work for the parents is testament to how much effort they put in to making it lovely for everyone but themselves.

Granted, if they went on AI holidays they would probably enjoy it more, but not everyone can afford that, so they choose to prioritise giving their children lots of happy holidays and experiences multiple times a year over prioritising their own personal enjoyment once every 5 years.

I'm amazed that you are criticising that sacrifice to be honest, it's part of being a good parent.

I have children conceived by IVF and naturally. They’re equally cherished.

lolz, nice try.

It's so odd to call it scaremongering when that is some peoples experience? You even said below if you had to go self catering in a caravan with kids you wouldn't bother going?? In fact you haven't bothered to have a holiday for 5 years because you've needed to save up for this one specific type of holiday, which proves the point that you have no interest in doing a budget self catering holiday because you don't think you'd enjoy it!!

Quite frankly, if I could only afford a caravan that I couldn't easily fit all my kids in and had nothing to cook a proper dinner with making it super stressful like posters are claiming holidays are, I just wouldn't go.

Holidays are what you make them OP, some people feel like they are the same as home but in a different location, they still GO though and give the kids a lovely holiday to enjoy, so what if they are honest about not really enjoying them.

It's better than depriving the kids of the holiday AT ALL!!

"She is so loved and cherished because I waited so long for her, and went through so much painful and invasive medical treatment to have her, because I wanted her that much."

Just reminding you said this a few messages back.

Anything you do with your children means you have to parent! Being on holiday should be more relaxing (even if self-catering/camping) because it’s a break from the normal.

The comment quoted in the OP, IMO shows up lazy parents for what they are: when you have a child, you don’t get to have a whole holiday where you can switch off from parenting - it goes with the territory.

So what you do is make it fun for all of you - as OP has demonstrated, she had a lovely time spending more time than normal with her LO and DH: which is exactly how it should be!

God this is just embarrassing.

What's daft? Just no need for this goady approach as it's basically bullying and very unpleasant to witness whatever I think of the OP's original post.

Don't be daft.

We all wanted our children op.

I wanted children for years before I had them and longed for them and I was able to get pregnant very easily.

We all wanted our children very much, it's not less than you're want because we didn't have to wait a long a you.

Believe me it was absolute sheer gratitude that each of my children entered the world safely and they are each a blessing.

"The fact she was conceived from a donated egg has nothing to do with her being so cherished so it's really odd that you're so attached to that"

This part kind of contradicts your previous paragraphs.

I have admiration for you op as there is no way in this world I would have used an egg donor or a sperm donor.