I love half-term, but for all the wrong reasons! Anyone else with me?

[ContessaGoesMarchingDOWNTOHELL]

I LOVE half-term, but people act like I'm a selfish monster when I explain why!

1. The kids spend all day happily bouncing around and going on exciting adventures with their (reasonably priced) holiday club, staffed by long-suffering yet kind childcare professionals with a great sense of humour. They return home exhausted, grubby and happy (the kids....mostly)

2. We avoid having to battle the bored half-term masses at every free activity and save a few pennies not buying entry to overpriced attractions and buying desperately-wanted cheap tat/sugary things

3. I spend the week working, mostly from home, for which my teams are grateful because generally we're short-staffed at this time

4. I get to leave work at my usual time (school hours) and have a happy few hours ponking around the garden every afternoon

5. We get to save up our leave (and money) for the 'big' holidays at Christmas/Easter/summer, and have a few days left over to attend school events during the year

This thread isn't meant to devalue the experiences of those who love having half-term with the kids; I just wanted to extol the virtues of another approach

Anyone else with me?

Again with the ignorant comments. Like I said, you haven’t a clue about anyone’s circumstances. What do you get out of trying to make women feel guilty for not spending every spare minute with their child?

There’s a difference between not spending every spare minute with your kids and having them in childcare unnecessarily for hours every day.
The op says people tend to act like she’s a selfish monster when she tells them what she does at half term so clearly I’m not alone in thinking it’s a little unusual.

Meh. My kids seem pretty happy with the way things are, and they're usually quick to complain when anything displeases them therefore I'll assume they're fine.

My boundaries may be a little skewed, tbf; we had a maid in our house growing up who looked after us if our parents went out, and it was normal for each family member to spend hours alone in their separate rooms from 4pm til bedtime. Compared to that, my current family are the fucking Waltons I think we're ok.

It is certainly interesting to see how others live!

We’ve just had school holidays here (Australia) and I did loads of stuff with my 6 and 8 yo including bush walks, a trip to Luna park, kayaking, cinema etc. They also did two days of tennis camp (their choice). Today my eldest said “I’m supposed to talk about what I did in the holidays - I can’t really remember apart from tennis camp, what did we do again?”

Time well spent.

having them in childcare unnecessarily for hours every day.

Unnecessarily according to who? You don’t get to decide what is necessary for other families. It’s unnecessary for people to go out with friends and hire a babysitter, doesn’t mean it’s sad for the poor ickle babies! Parents are allowed time off. Honestly, get a grip.

Ozgirl I would like to apply to be one of your children please - I'm relatively polite, don't rebel much and have never been to Australia

I would be SO much more appreciative than them and would write you up a fab review for the school paper or whatnot

DS3 is ill so we have not been out since Sunday, and that makes DS2 stir crazy. The only blessing is that I'm allowed annual leave in the holidays but not term time so I've been able to deal with this.

No-one needs a 3hr break from their kids every day of the holidays.
Why not? What do you think is going to happen to the kids? It's hardly neglect! I
Are dad's expected to make sure they spend EVERY minute they are not working with their children as well, or are they allowed to do other things?
Actually, I see a LOT of men out cycling in the countryside on Sundays in lycra boak
Fucking neglectful bastards.

I have NEVER picked my boys up from the after school club they have occasionally attended early.  I have sat in the car on my own. In silence. Until the last minute 

Damn kids these days are a bit over protected to be honest. Exhausted during half term? I went to holiday clubs all the time as my mum and dad were according to some parents pure evil for not taking all holiday with me working, and I was never exhausted or just wanted to sit around reading a book. When I was younger than that and had a child minder, me and her kids would play in the woods and up the mountain all day, every day.

Your kids are more capable than you realise. Stop holding them so much. That's not to you op.

Each to their own but not for my family. DC spend enough time at school and need time with their nearest and dearest, time at the park, time running freely, time watching films and time to do nothing. There'll be enough time to potter in the garden when I'm 50 with less responsibility.

There's surely two definite camps of families in school holidays - those with working parents and those with a stay at home parent? My DH and I both work, the holidays are a logistical nightmare AND I have to make packed lunches!! No 'good value' holiday camps here - seems to cost me £45 per child per day for full days care. For two weeks 😳

The only good thing is no homework stress and fewer extra activities like cubs etc to grapple with.

My kids long for lazy days.

It’s 8.15 here in the South of France and I’m counting the minutes until I can summon an Uber and no longer be subjected to a hip hop version of Lonely Goatherd 😎😂. There is no way I could provide as much halfterm excitement as holiday camp!

I love it because they go to my parents up the street instead of me battling to the next town for their school (which is in the exact opposite direction to my work)

£45 per child per day for full days care

Ours is £22 per child per day, 8.30-17.30 (we collect earlier than this), council-run. Sorry

Hip-hop lonely goatherd? How, umm, intriguing

I wish family was an option but a) they've never offered and b) they all live at least 2 hours away!

I hated putting mine in holiday club from age 5-9, school hours.
I'd drive past other families and I'd be jealous.
However, i don't know whether that was more because i hated my job or because i missed my child.
Now, she stays home alone if i have to work, which, again, i hate leaving her.
Best is when I'm off work for the half term, like now. I'm so much happier.

£22 per child per day?!? Where is this and how do I sign my kids up?!?

Mine are in football camp this week and my dh and I and grandparents have worked round the 3pm pick up. On Friday I don't work but they still want to go as it's the last day and they get certificates. I don't feel bad about the fact they will be at camp and I will get to sort stuff out and do the ironing etc so we can have a fun weekend. Don't feel bad OP - people who don't work don't understand how much a few free hours can help in terms of mental health and being able to function well at home and work.

£25 a day at the adventure playground DD goes to, 8-6. Inner London. Very back-to-basics, lots of outdoor things and arts and craft, ping pong, think there might be a pool table, and 2 elderly computers for gaming. It's a lovely place.And you can pay using childcare vouchers which DH amassed while I wasn't working.

For the first time ever (combination of 12 yrs self employed and latterly working in a school) my three DC’s went to a full two days sports camp tues/wed this week, they came out rosy cheeked, fluffy headed and exhausted. I take pleasure in listening to them all try and tell me how awesome it was all at the same time!
I spent a day working from home/cleaning and a day pottering, went for lunch, drank coffee.
I’ll be doing it every school holiday from now on, i have seen the light!
Good for all of you for enjoying school holidays in whatever suits your family best.
Not good for the snarky judgy comments, you people are unkind.

Holiday club is £35 per day here. 8.30-5.30. I usually work 5 hours a day term time, but am allowed to condense that into 3 longer days during school hols, so DC go to holiday club 3 days then we have 2 days off together to chill.
I dread the longer days though - packed lunches, racing to get to work/pick up during rush hour, madly sorting dinner so everyone gets fed before bed time.
But this arrangement works for us as a family - it allows me to work and to save annual leave for the summer and Christmas hols (and to cover sickness etc).

Ds chose to go to our childminder one extra day this half term. She was doing an activity he loves with a group of other childminders and mindees. DH had the day off so they could have done stuff together.

Can't remember if I mentioned that they are going on a cinema trip with HC today. They would have KILLED me if I'd offered to keep them home instead! Another plus is that they've been going for so long that they now have friends there; they like spending the day with the other kids and the cinema trip just tops it off. No guilt, at all - we have plenty of family time at Christmas/Easter/summer hols, and they do actually like the set-up as is.

£20 per day here 8am - 5.30pm.
Ds2 begs to go more often. I only need 2 days.

@contessa - yes, you’re welcome to come along on our excursions - although normally it’s them trying to dig an island or cross a river on a log (always falling in) so bring spare clothes.