Tell me about your kid being an ungrateful wretch on holiday

[MorrisZapp]

My son is 8 and we have just taken him on an amazing short break to London. Entire thing planned round him. Harry Potter tour, amazing lego shop, chain restaurants to satisfy his boring palate. We've had a great time but now heading home in hideous mood due to him being rude and ghastly in the last few hours of our trip.

I've just spent the last part of this holiday standing in Hyde Park in beautiful autumn sun having a three way raging row with DS and DP.

I never got given anything like this when I was a kid but I know my mum tore her hair out at our ingratitude and moaning when we did go on trips.

I'm not looking for advice, DS will grow up and become human, as I did.

I just want someone to say they've felt this frustration too, and maybe get some free gin or something... A AAAAAAAARGH

Forgot to mention the science museum, complete with Red Arrows Flying Experience

FUCKING HELL

Fuck it. He's happy at the park at home. Note to self, just stay at home and go to the park until he's old enough to grasp the basics of human kindness. This will save thousands of pounds, many ill advised snacks, and possibly my relationship.

I'm not going into detail but I am the parent who was crying (actual tears) in Disney this week.

Meanwhile I will stick to enjoying the wonders of travel on my fucking own.

At a guess, if it's right at the end , he is just very tired. My dd was similar in Florida.

I just cried in St Pancras. The Pret soup was sawdust in my mouth.

It's a two day break but I appreciate your kindness :)

Yes yes and totally yes I’ve had this. The best was DD standing by the Grand Canyon looking very blasé and bored and when I asked what she thought of it got the following reply “It’s just a big hole”. 😓. The moods, the eye rolls, the arguments are just soul destroying. Keep going it does get better (and if it doesn’t they eventually start going away with their mates so you don’t have to deal with their ingratitude.) Go get the gin ready. You deserve one (or two)

I am also the hissing parent marching through Disney with a face like thunder.

Thankfully I am not anywhere near the parent shouting and pushing her child to the exit .

Ds2 on holiday this year. Think 5 star all inclusive. Sat on the subbed with a face like thunder as he was ‘bored’ 😒
At which point I lost it. Utterly lost it. And started ranting ‘Which of the 5 swimming pools do you find boring? Or maybe it’s the on-site water park or funfair or bowling alley that doesn’t pique your interest? Or is the waterskiing, snorkelling, jet skiing,tennis, golf course or beach volleyball that isn’t to your taste?!! Eh? Eh? When I was your age I had 1 week on the beach in Swanage and I WAS BLOODY GRATEFUL !!!!’
At which point dh had to lead me off and feed me margaritas to calm down. Little ungrateful shit. I won’t forget that in a hurry....😡

I sympathise... Had identical scenario during the summer... Lovely holiday abroad, on a campsite completely geared up for children... But no, nothing good enough for the hormonal (?) 8 year old who spent most of the time creating over one thing or another like a spoilt brat... I've never been so embarrassed or felt like such a failure as a parent.... Came away vowing not to take him on holiday again. Once home, he went back to the mostly polite and pleasant child that he is... No advice as such, like yours, he will hopefully grow up and become more civilised.. 

I can't go into details as they're too upsetting, but I finally went on holiday to a place I've wanted to go to for over twenty years. I cried several times because my dcs were so horrible and badly behaved.

When DD was 10 we took her to Jamaica. We have extended family there who made a real effort to show her a good time.

But she was being an ungrateful little bastard and actually very disrespectful to our families.

One day, my granny got pissed off with her attitude, bundled her into the car (and I mean physically manhandled her into the car) and drove her to the airport. I don't know what she did/said on the way there/back but my DD was a dream after that

Aw I love you all. Feeling it all, the embarrassment, the shame, the where did I go wrong???

Sometimes DS moans that we live in a flat, not a 'proper house' like his friends. At least I can take comfort in knowing that if we ought him Necker fucking Island, he'd say 'but I don't liiiiike walking, why does EVERYTHING have to be about YOU'.

Urgh spanky it's vile isn't it?
Very boring and upsetting

I'm taking my 2 away at half term for a few days to the canaries. Dh can't join us. A friend is coming too. My dd had a raging tantrum as she will miss all the Halloween stuff. Because we missed it last year as we were somewhere very exotic. I did the whole back in my day I would have given a limb to go in a plane.

I took the DC on an amazing holiday this year. Think long-haul, once-in-a-lifetime, more activities and amazing stuff than you could shake a stick at. DP and I booked a hotel babysitter one evening so we could have a grown-up meal. It was lovely. As we came out of the lift on the way back to the room I could hear a couple of badly-behaved children screaming and shouting and racing around. Feeling smug utterly relieved that my darling angels had been in bed for a couple of hours, I opened the door. Yes, it was those same angels who had built a fort with all the pillows and cushions in the adjoining rooms, the smallest angel busy roaring like a lion while the babysitter, looking like a hostage in a bad action film, desperately entertained the other one with a game of cards. Freaking heck, I was so embarrassed. The babysitter was nearly in tears because she felt she did a bad job not having them in bed. I gave her a big, big tip, blocked the DC and went to bed growling at them about ungrateful little brats.

Sympathy OP!

OMG JAMAICAN GRANNY!!! That woman is a saint, a star and a bloody all round inspiration!!

My children are all under 6, but reading this is giving me the quivers! I thought holidays with 0-5 year olds was shit, but it gets worse?!

Took ds and his friend (14/15) all expenses paid to Portugal some years ago. Totally horrendous. Sent them back by plane!! We enjoyed the last week without them!!
Took months to get the cash back from his dps!! Bloody did though!!

*bollocked. Definitely bollocked.

Yeah mine has. Relative had paid for tons of treats for him spoiled him rotten. He was a BRAT... she has the patience of a saint but even she lost her cool and told him he was ruining her holiday too.

He was 5.

He was lovely again when we got home.

Kids are arseholes sometimes 

We all need Vauxhalls granny with us to sort out these little ingrates. 😁

April did you send your DS back too or just his ‘friend’?

Often I think less is more with kids around this age - holidays like that are quite hectic and I think they sometimes struggle with the structure of it. My DS(8) had a spoilt only child style jam packed summer but his best time was a 2 night trip to a fairly small, remote campsite with 4 of his friends (and their parents & siblings - I didn't take 5 kids camping by myself, I'm not insane). We 'did' very little and the kids were give a lot of freedom and a couple of big fields. I got the most gratitude for that holiday!
This half term we're doing a London theatre trip and honestly I'm fully prepared for it to go either way...