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

[SocksRock]

We have had no money for holidays for years, so we’ve had two weeks at Easter and two weeks in the Summer with Welsh Granny (who is very like Jamaican Granny I think). I get people saying “gosh, that must be boring going the same place every year for 10 years”

Actually Welsh Granny is fearsome so the kids behave, she takes them off to visit relatives, and does all the cooking. DH and I actually get a break from the tedium of life, which is the point of a holiday. I reckon the kids behave as nothing is new or strange or unexpected. We go to the same beaches, parks, castles etc and they bloody love it. Eldest is 11 and still keen to go...

I have dreams of 2 weeks all inclusive but reading this I think Wales is sounding good...

[PhilomenaDeathsHeadHawkMoth]

Leicester Square bluetrampolines.

[PhilomenaDeathsHeadHawkMoth]

Never try and do all of London Zoo with a 6yo. DH thought we could do the whole zoo in a day. It was an hour's bus journey back home, the whole of which I spent restraining DD and trying to stay calm. It was like a tantrum but she was laughing.

I had tried to tell DH it would be too much in one day, but he wouldn't listen. He understood afterwards all right!

[PhilomenaDeathsHeadHawkMoth]

And I want a Jamaican granny.

[PhilomenaDeathsHeadHawkMoth]

For DD's 2nd birthday we stayed at my aunt's holiday flat on the Isle of Wight for 6 days. For nearly 6 days she was terrified of the sea. For the last hour of the last day we couldn't get her out of the bloody water!

[Miljah]

We camped with our DC til they were 10/12, with a couple of forays to Brittany; since then, 7 years on, it's been a villa-with-pool in Spain, largely because we got sick of the British weather!

By and large we've been lucky with behavior, but there was one year, 14/16 I'd say when all they wanted to do was get on the villa wifi, needed bribing to go in the pool, and endless eye rolling about going out to eat in tapas bars up in the church square.... unless it was moaning about going to the supermarket so I could buy the ingredients for dinner!!

I remained calm, and luckily they were old enough for DH and I to leave them alone in the villa while we went off driving a couple of times, but at the end, I calmly announced that I hoped they'd had a nice time because I wasn't shelling out that sort of money on them again as evidently it was a pointless experience which they weren't getting anything out of.... I lied and said I would be perfectly happy to not go again, but that DH and I would save the money to go away without them when they were old enough to leave home alone...

Come the time you need to book for the following year, both approached me and asked if we could do it again, and they promised they'd join in, use the pool, not moan about the occasional cultural thing I wanted to do... so we did and it's been fine ever since, to the extent this last summer 17/19, they ask about visiting historic town centres etc!

But I am so glad we never did Disney or took under 10's to the Med!

[Strokethefurrywall]

I replied to this thread last week pre-midterm break in Miami for 5 days.

After last years Tampa fiasco, I was approaching it with trepidation (and equal parts comfort that everyone else deals with the same level of ungrateful behavior as we did!)

We got back yesterday and I'm pleased to report that despite DH and DS2 getting sick and being bed bound half way through, it really was an enjoyable few days away which I think can be attributed to setting zero levels of expectation 
We did something on the first, second and third days, starting with the biggest event first and then doing the closer or "lesser" activities on the days that followed.
We went out for dinner twice. The kids were great despite all of us in a hotel room.
I realized that the kids don't really care necessarily about what they're doing, as long as they're doing it with us!

[BrickByBrick]

We aren't in a static caravan though, I think it was about an hour in by the time I was yelling 'shall we just go home?' it was a dreadful weekend away.

[BrickByBrick]

We are currently on a weekend break, I can honestly say it is one of the first i have really enjoyed. Ds has had his moments but they are par of the course (asd) but I think it is because I just wanted to chill and relax and have been more laid back.

I wonder if there is more pressure on us nowadays to give them so many opportunities and experiences and we are somewhat lacking if we don't that it ends up being lost on them.

[CitrusFruit9]

Took DD 17 to Ibiza last summer, a place we have been many times and which she says is her favourite holiday location. All she did was moan that the villa wifi was not good enough and sulk on the beach. All day every single flipping day.

She ruined that holiday for the rest of us and I swore I would never take her away on holiday again. She has just come back from a holiday in Ibiza with her dad and apparently had a really lovely time though all they did was go to the beach.

Clearly it's me! Won't be going abroad next year anyway as the pound will probably be shit.

[AccidentallyRunToWindsor]

Honestly, probably not! It will only be a year or 2 until they are off on holidays with their friends rather than either set of parents. I think my last holiday with my parents was at 15, after that there were trips with college and from about 18 I went travelling on my own or with friends,I think these two will be the same.

This holiday was their choice of where to go and was one of the few places we were allowed to take them by their Mum so it was all geared to them. DSS was a dream, DSD whinged most of the time which I expected from the thread!

[Dowser]

When £5000 was a mega load of dosh in 1990 we took our three to Disneyworld aged 9,11 and 13
Gawd it was awful
The 11 year old was a nightmare and I honestly think looking back it was jet lag, too much over stimulation,
Every photo we have we all look miserable and we were
What a waste

[Lweji]

@AccidentallyRunToWindsor

As you can read from the thread, if you've read it, most kids behave like this.
Are you saying you'll refuse to go on holiday with your OH and SD again? Because it doesn't sound like a DSD at all.

[AccidentallyRunToWindsor]

Just got back from holiday with the DSC, thier DM picked them up and asked if they had a nice time- they shrugged and said 'it was ok.'

DSD was particularly ungrateful, moaned constantly that it was too hot/too cold/too windy and that her arm/foot/legs/nose hurt and had a meltdown as she diddnt know if she wanted pizza or not.

Never again

[beela]

@jinglesplodge I think you are right.

[FishCanFly]

My 9yo DS is like that. Give him all the excitement in the world, but if at the end of the day he didn't get the flavour of ice cream he wanted - he's the unhappiest child in the world.

[Cedar03]

PiperPublickOccurences on our holiday to Austria there were a couple of families with poorly behaved children. One was very young and over excited by the range of foods at the breakfast buffet. I've no idea what he was saying but one morning there was a huge plate of mini doughnuts there and he tried to pick the entire plate up. Each day there was a tantrum about something or other. Sometimes I think it was because he had a plate rather than a bowl or vice versa. His parents managed to stay super calm but I bet they were wishing they'd chosen somewhere without so much choice. However, he was little so that is forgivable.

Another family - three children, one teen, two younger kids - spent every single meal time on their devices. In fact the dad did as well. We watched one night where one child wouldn't sit on a seat. Was finally persuaded to but then just before he sat down older brother deliberately moved into that seat and wouldn't move. Tears from younger child as they can't sit in a different seat. If my child had done that I would have removed her from the restaurant and bawled her out but the parents just necked down red wine instead.

A few years ago I did have to bodily remove DD (then 6) from the swimming pool in front of everyone else after she got carried away and was very very rude to me.

One positive is that DD doesn't like rides so we don't have to contemplate attempting a Disney holiday.

[NerdyBird]

Reading these I am actually quite glad we will never be able to afford a trip to any of the Disneys! We have been lucky so far, only once has DH got as far as threatening to pack the car and go home. Our holidays have to cater for a 4, 10 and 13 year old and DH's hatred of beaches. It's not fun.

[Olderbyaminute]

Three years ago took DS to Disney for a week stayed in park resort-special needs and wheelchair bound-every morning waiting on accessible shuttle bus at pickup point to whichever park we were visiting for the day and god forbid should a bus be too crowded or not accessible pull up and leave without him (despite assurances from us or the Disnay staff another one was few minutes away) cue a loud meltdown or whining-had to stand as far away from bus stop so other people waiting didn’t have to listen to it. Get in park whines for hotel get to pool wants to be at park basically wherever we were wanted to be elsewhere but at least he enjoyed the rides

[dancinfeet]

More Disney ones - trip a few years ago with teenage eldest DD and younger DD the age 10. Decided to 'surprise' them with a Disney trip told them we were heading away for a few days but didn't tell them where. When we got to the eurostar eldest DD moaned and whinged that had she known we were going to Disney she would have brought her Minnie Mouse ears from home, and now she was going to have to use some of her precious spending money to buy some at the park. I didn't realise they were mandatory wear, but there you go. Apparently my fault for not telling her.

Another Disney trip a year or so later, and I told the kids in no uncertain terms we would be getting up EARLY each day to avoid the bunfight that is disney hotel breakfast after 8am, and that we would be heading to the park EARLY for the rope drop to get on some of the rides before the big queues. Eldest DD fussed and moaned, wanted to sleep in, stayed up until the early hours on her phone under the bed covers, whinged she was tired when we got up next morning, refused breakfast because she was too busy doing her hair/makeup, dragged her heels so that we missed getting into the park before the main crowds, complained she was hungry and that I should buy her breakfast in the park. Younger DD spent the whole holiday antagonising her - complaining about how long her sister took to do her hair and make up, that she always wants special treatment, 'Mum, I never complain, Mum, I'm ready on time, Mum why do we have to wait for her, Mum she's on her phone again'. Didn't help that a friend had come on holiday with us, and who spent the whole trip making passive aggressive remarks aimed at eldest DD that made the whole situation worse. I was pissed off with the lot of them and we haven't been on holiday since!

[eurochick]

I should not have read this thread just before we take our four year old to Disney. 

[Musicalstatues]

We go to Disney pretty much every year. This year will be ds7’s 6th trip. He’s not actually particularly badly behaved on holiday, but if you ask him what he likes the most about going to Disney his answer without fail is getting to play on his iPad for hours and hours on the plane

[prettygirlincrimsonrose]

Storm4star I've been on some lovely holidays with my parents since I left home. We get on really well and I love spending time with them somewhere new. Suspect it may be the way forward, at least for city breaks.

I hope I wasn't terrible as a teenager but I remember being resentful about missing a post gcse results party with my friends (mainly as an opportunity to get drunk and do something stupid I think) so I probably moaned about that. I was in Florida at the time.

[PiperPublickOccurrences]

We are on holiday at the moment and the kids have been ok so far.

However there is a German family - the mother will certainly be posting on Muttersnet or the German equivalent. They have three kids who are taking it in turns to kick off each meal time. It's buffet style food Roth lots of options but every time there are two children eating normally and one screaming. Every time one of the parents has to get up and take the screaming banshee out. They haven't had a family meal together yet.

And all the other parents in the dining room are just so grateful that it's not their kids screeching for once.

[Cedar03]

DD (11) says that her perfect holiday would be to stay at her BF's house. I don't think her BF even has to be there, she just likes the house .

This year we went to Austria. To a hotel.With a pool. Couldn't get her in the pool the entire holiday. She'd rather hide in her room and play on her Kindle. She complained at the end that she hadn't made any friends. Well you don't make friends hiding in your room!

A couple of days into the holiday I had to walk away from her and DH because I couldn't stand it any more. DH wanted to buy a snack lunch. She wanted to go back to the hotel for lunch. Neither wanted to compromise. There wasn't solution where everyone was happy. My storming off forced DD to compromise but in fact the cafes were serving main meals rather than snacks so we went back to the hotel instead. So DD got her way in the end.

In fairness to her we did make her walk up some mountains which she mostly enjoyed, got her playing tennis and table tennis. We couldn't get her on a cable car though.

Next year we are going to Cornwall. To the same place we stayed at the year before last. I seem to remember her complaining about that too but she's asked to go back so we are.

She won't entertain any thoughts of going anywhere further afield as she doesn't like travelling.