Think I'm doing the summer holidays wrong cause this is HELL

[ItsDangerousInKingsmarkham]

Sorry for the dramatic title but I'm at my wit's end with my DC, aged 6, 4 and 9 months.

The baby is fine, she's just her usual self but my other DC are on school holidays and their behaviour is abysmal. A month ago I'd say I had pretty easy, well behaved and pleasant children on the whole. This month I'm tearing my hair out.

They beg for screens constantly, despite having plenty. When not begging for screens they are pestering relentlessly for something else, whatever takes their fancy at that moment, from soft play to a sandwich. I try to play with them or get them to play with toys and they end up just wrecking the house and wrestling until they are both crying. They'll go out to the garden but are screeching/crying/fighting within minutes. Most interactions with them are rude and unkind, quite often they will just answer 'NO!' to a request from me and when I try to deal with it I get 'oh fiiiine' with an eye roll.

WTAF has happened to my children?! This isn't them. I knew the change of routine might be a bit unsettling but they've turned into monsters.

The house is a tip because I'm constantly trying to do housework with them either wrecking the joint or scrapping. I've tried to taking them out places and they're even worse - whinging and moaning the whole time. Giving them a row results in a huge tearful breakdown.

Please don't have a go at me for being a shit parent, I'm doing my best but I'm obviously not managing them well at the moment and none of us are happy.

Any tips?

FGSWhatNow Its good because in reality they're not getting any more than they usually would because the crisps and biscuit and fruit would just be given with their lunch if I didn't do this (they always have a lunchbox kind of cold lunch) So they think they're winning but really I am 🤣

Mine are older now and I'd completely forgotten this but yes! It is like they needed a week or so to decompress and get used to being at home then it was lovely. I've also noticed as mine get older they are less used to spending time together as siblings as they do their own thing in term time more and more. They need to get used to being around each other all the time too.

They need routine.
Get some rules in and things they need to do before screen time.
I found a printable online which seemed to give it more authority similar to this -

www.popsugar.co.uk/parenting/Screen-Time-Summer-Rules-Kids-44890250

Get a big sheet of paper and ask for ideas for days out and things to do and put them in the calendar.

Yes, we also do a big calendar (mostly so they can see when school restarts) and they put what they want to do on post it notes and we stick them on the calendar.

Also, I still make them do like their usual morning routine they would do before school but obviously putting other clothes on, not uniform 😂

Really helps to keep them on track. When they have lazy pj days they always end in disaster.

My two are on the spectrum though so we do a lot of things to help regulate them.

Do children not play with local friends anymore?

Depends what you mean.

Do I send my 6 and 3 year olds out into the street to play with other children? No.

Do I arrange meet-ups with other parents and their children? Yes

Yea, we organise dates to meet up by the river or the park.

No I don't send my autistic son out to play in the street 🤷

I used to take my DC out nearly every morning at that age and then let them do whatever they wanted indoors in the afternoon. That worked really well. Once they got older I did a bigger day out every other day and then let do anything they wanted the day in between even if was hours of screen time. It was a moan free plan.

When my children were primary age they would play with local friends at each other's houses. From the age of about ten they would go up to the shops for comics or sweets. Things seem to be far more organised nowadays.

Don’t be so hard on yourself ❤️ Two younguns PLUS a baby = difficult!!! They will settle down soon, it’s that awful combo of hyper/excited and overtired!

They need a routine

They’re just tired. Mine were hard work last week which was our first week. This week they’ve been a dream. Yours will come back round too.