To be really dreading half term

Same and I only have one his school holiday club just got cancelled aswell! Can you send them to something similar local to you? Asking as it’s orated registered you should be able to claim back/ refund some of the cost later on.

You're entitled to your opinion. I feel the points I've made to OP have been constructive but she's pretty much made it clear she just wants people to agree with her. There's a difference between providing one's perspective on a situation and goading. And by the way, one doesn't have to be a parent oneself to have a sense of how people generally approach parenting and be able to form valid opinions on it.

Ludmilla you are talking absolute rubbish and have absolutely no experience or advice to offer. I feel you are goading the OP for your own pleasure. Shame on you.

It is not for you it is for the exhausted teaching staff who look after your kids and for the tired kids.

I know exactly what I’m trying to say, thanks. You just accused me of saying you shouldn’t say you feel this way about parenting in the holidays. At no point did I say any such thing. I do think it’s odd you’re making such heavy weather of this, though.

Adoption maybe?

Where did I say that?

Luckily just 3 days where I live one is in service and other 2 days half term, it’s our last day of half term today. It’s bloody awful though, been windy, freezing and peeing down with rain! Also don’t get paid till next week

I find them being off for a week much more relaxing and enjoyable than the juggle of different drop offs, pick up times and various activities during term time. It’s on your terms so it can be so much nicer.

If I'd said or even implied that, yes it would be. But if all you wanted was an echo chamber for people to agree with you that entertaining two children at the same time is hell on earth, you should have said so at the beginning of the thread. You don't sound at all open to different perspectives.

But complaining about spending downtime with them together is still complaining about spending time with them.

Well, obviously being childfree I acknowledge that I don't have the level of understanding of this that people with children do. And I wasn't accusing you of not spending time with them (also I understand the distinction you're making re parenting them together being harder, and that it wasn't possible to gauge this before having a second), but what is standing out for me is the strongly negative terms you're using to describe parenting them both together. You've used terms like 'highly stressful', 'hard, hard work', 'overwhelming', Christmas 'nearly killed' you, 'hate' parenting them together, and you sound very resentful of the noise and mess. I just wonder if your DC could be picking up on this?

You also sound like you're keeping score re career sacrifices, having to parent when you're on holiday etc. Although I do feel it's really unfair men don't have to make the same sacrifices, presumably having kids was a choice you made freely having discussed the role split with your DH, but I'm wondering if you are now feeling some resentment around this?

I know I sound unsympathetic and I don't actually mean to - I totally acknowledge that as a non-parent I can't fully understand, and I would have felt exactly the same way had I had kids tbh. It just gets to me a bit when people complain about spending downtime with their children, partly because I know quite a few people who can't have any, and partly because my own mum seemed to find parenting me a massive drag and didn't really trouble to hide it a lot of the time. Kids do pick up on these things.

If you look back at what I said, it was not a vague "get help" I said talk it over with your husband or if he's no use a family member or friend. I also said consult a medical practitioner in case you need treatment for an underlying depression or health condition.

Yes your children will grow up and it will to some extent get better on its own but I think there are things to be done to make things better now.

When mine were that age I always used to think I'd be fine if the day ended at 3pm and we could all go to bed at 4pm. There's fun to be had but the days could feel so long.

NRTFT but next week looks to be as cold, wet and miserable as it has been for the last eleventy seven weeks.
Add in bored kids with too much energy fizzing I get your dread. I never thought I’d say that about kids being at home.
If ever there was a week to go somewhere warmer and drier, all inc with kids entertainment it’s February half term.
Most people are skint unfortunately.
Any chance of reciprocal play dates so you only have one dc plus a friend for two of the days?
The rest of the week depends on location, finances and transport.

Just feed them, sit on the floor and play whatever they’re playing, watch television, put music on and dance around with them, play keepy-uppy with balloons and generally just be with them with no expectations to achieve anything but enjoying each others company. Give them both your full attention - simply chatting whilst playing or watching tv - and relax around them. Before you know it, it’ll be bath time, story time and bed time.

I'm sure this is meant helpfully, but 'before you know it, it'll be bath time, story time and bed time' made me laugh. Nothing could be further from how I remember the toddler days. The days were LONG. I would frequently spend time exactly as you've suggested and think 'ah, surely that's really used up some time' and look at the clock and find it was 8.52am. One of the greatest joys of my children getting older is that we can now just 'hang out' but I would challenge absolutely anyone to spend more than about an hour (I think you'd be doing well at 20 minutes, to be honest) 'just chatting' with a two year old.