To not want to spend my staycation watching tv

I am have been off this week and we've been to the pool four times, and to the beach once.

No way I'd sit watching TV on my precious time off!!!

It sounds like lockdown! I always got my kids out somewhere every day, even if just to the local playground, swimming or the supermarket.

I agree about "mixing it up". With a three week break I might have some active family days and some mooching in between, or decide on one week of activities and the rest is mooching.

And on mooching days I'd invite the others but go out by myself if I wanted to go out and no-one else did.

What I wouldn't tolerate - I'm not saying this is happening! - is everyone else mooching around having a lovely relaxing time at home and expecting me to do the cooking and cleaning because we're not going out.

Three weeks is quite a long time to want to be doing stuff each day in the morning and evening. It’s even harder when you’re at home with all your home comforts I’d imagine. Maybe agree to go out for dinner a couple of times a week and get it booked. Then maybe a couple of activities a week too - beach or some other activity available in your town. Alternate the days you do this if they aren’t interested in doing multiple things each day. Also could do some stuff together at home to spend time together like watching a film, doing a barbecue, play a game etc.

This.

I love to get out and do stuff but I find people exhausting when they are the sort who absolutely have to follow an itinerary at all times. Scheduling time for relaxing is not relaxing.

Absolutely couldn’t spend three weeks in front of the TV, but equally, no pleasure in fighting with the tourists and their cars at our local beaches and attractions so probably would have much smaller chunks of time off. But then we don’t do lounging around, too much to achieve around the place, and we don’t really do holidays, just odd weekends or short breaks, so don’t really understand the attraction of “family time” if I’m honest, seems a bit forced. I’d let them be and find something to do if it were me.

Mix it up a bit you dont all have to be joined at the hip for 3 weeks thats what causes issues I think.
You go out every morning if you want to the others may follow now and again.

When the kids were that age and we had time like this we did an every other day schedule. One day at home mooching, next day out and about, even if just a picnic at the park and a long walk in the woods (‘cause £££). If we’re out everyday it exhausts me and the kids get kind of bored (I think more likely tired and over stimulated, but it comes out as not being interested in whatever we’re doing). Because everyone knew they could mooch the next day, we all seemed to be more prepared to do a little extra when we were out and about - stay late, take a detour for one person’s sake, have a go at something outside our comfort zone, etc.

On mooch days we’d often watch a movie, play computer games together or drag out a board game (and some sunny days I would sit in the garden with a bottle glass of wine and a book) so still some family time and I didn’t see them as wasted.

We are also a family that loves being at home. We live in London though, and we always do stuff at the weekends or planned things with their friends.
I sometimes think people are so focused on doing things that you don’t realise that you never just have time at home. Time to relax, be selfish on how you spend it, or do absolutely nothing at all.

Exactly. I pay a lot for my house, why wouldn't I want to at least spend a decent amount of time there?

Would you be happy with having whole days inside?

God yes. I hate this for ed "you've got to be out doing stuff all the time" attitude some people seem to have. I work hard in a full time job, love day trips and holidays to but nothing wrong to me relaxing about the house, watching TV reading books etc. I feel chilled and love my own company to.

I wouldn't be happy with having whole days inside - why not leave them to rot and pack yourself a picnic lunch and go to the beach, go walking, do some of the local attractions.

Maybe if you are of out they might want to come to for fear of missing out

I totally get your wish to do more but am not sure why your wish trumps the wishes of your family members?

This is me, too.

Some of us are just homebodies, or introverts, and we are not interested in going out, unless it’s something really special, like for me, that would be an art exhibition or a birthday meal in a restaurant. Even then, I don’t like to be out for long and look forward to coming back home! 😆

My friend is the total opposite, hardly ever in, always off seeing places, doing stuff.

As a family?

Eight years old is absolutely peak age for family on tour activities. I really thought you were moaning about teenagers being boring and not wanting to hang out with you! At eight she will go wherever you go and probably find it all a lot of fun. we loved the local museum that has pinball machines from the 50s and serves pots of tea for £1. Even last summer when DS was already in his teens, we had a summer pass for crazy golf and held a summer long tournament. There are so many things to go that she will remember forever.
As for staying in, maybe a games day would be nice. We have spent hours upon hours playing table tennis on the kitchen table during school holidays.

When we ended up with more time at home than originally planned this summer, I got us all to agree a screen time limit because I could see that this was what would happen. It applied to all of us (including the adults!) and didn't include time spent working/doing essential life admin. We could choose together to break it to eg watch a film, but it tried to limit time spent watching nonsense on YouTube, playing inane games etc so that we would actually spend time together. It worked reasonably well, but I think only because we agreed it together. Might you be able to have a similar conversation with your family?

Can you go outside of your area? What's about within an hour or so? I thoroughly recommend National Trust membership if you can afford it and there are enough places within an hour or so. Up north, my cousin takes me to castles/massive gardens, there's usually a pre-packed picnic involved or we might go nuts and buy coffee and a scone. We did the museum by Hadrian's wall (weather was shit, no way was I walking to see where the sycamore used to be!) Walks in the countryside are fab and free unless you find a fabulous ice cream place.

There are free entry kid places in summer, do a bit of research and present days out to your dd and DH. I hope he will join in, bit shit if he's also got 3 weeks (teachers?) and doesn't want to leave the house. I'm week 5 of the summer holiday and would normally be twitching to get back to work but have resigned and am moving so busy packing up the house, plus the dogs are walked 3 times a day.

Two days chilling at home while DD plays out with friends sounds perfectly normal to me.

I would hate to be dragged outside everyday just because someone else was bored or had decided it was more worthy than relaxing at home.

Hell no, I wouldn’t be happy at all! I live in a place which is boring as fuck and given the opportunity to live in a tourist area with loads to do, I’d be out doing stuff morning, noon and night! That said, DD’s boyfriend lives in a VERY touristy part of the Uk and he’s very “ un excited” about the place! Maybe it’s me? 😂

Seriously though OP, yeah I’d be annoyed too. Maybe put an itinerary together? Or just head out without the family? Could money be a contributing factor here? With touristy areas, comes cost/ Inflated prices?

We could. But when you own a springer spaniel who will go for hours and then some, you pretty much know every walk, forest, field, bridge, river and have done it a thousand times. We are very outdoorsy.

Can you call a family meeting where you all brainstorm and list what you want to do?
activities
food ideas
ways to chill alone
ways to chill together
new things to try
new places to go

then discuss them all and agree on them all together and write it all up and put on calendar so you can balance the shape of the weeks? It feels much better to know youve all chosen and agreed to chill for a specific afternoon than just drifting into it.

have a lovely time xx

Have family meeting.
suggest that you do at least one thing every other day.
so, a day of chilling and a day of an activity or outing.
make a spider chart if all the things you’d all like to do and put them on a calendar.

I think there's a balance... organise a proper activity every few days, but I think kids do enjoy the chance to just chill out at home and play without everything being too structured

On the low key days you could have mostly chill out time but maybe do something together in the evening like pop to the beach for a game of bat and ball and/or fish and chips, or have a pizza evening where you get (or make) dough and a load of toppings and all make your own pizzas, or a bbq if the weather is nice (and fire risk kept to a minimum), or a popcorn and family movie evening, or a bike ride/dog walk.