Page 6 | Easter hols have destroyed me

YukoandHiro · 2023-04-16T09:50:22+00:00

I'm an absolute husk. And there's an inset day tomorrow too! I can't believe how hard I work only for my holidays to be much much harder work. For reference I have a 2yo and a 5yo and work 4 days a week. I am so much less exhausted when completely flat out working! Tell me the teen years are a little easier on this point? I feel like a shell of myself

icelolly12 · 17/04/2023 07:56

I really think some parents resent looking after their own children and can't wait to palm them off on Teachers, whilst moaning how easy Teacher have it (despite the fact they have yours and 20 odd others to deal with!) School is not free childcare!

Whiskers4 · 17/04/2023 08:13

OP, in years to come you could well miss these days of what can be just simple fun. We had our battles, but both of us would love to go back.

Moving on, you'll find you're stressed and tired over battles to get to get them to do things, where they are, friend arguments, boy/girlfriend relationship problems, school issues, their exams. Also, they can become a lot more expensive in terms of clothes and food costs, continued education until at least 18, then some go to uni needing support if up to £500 pm.

All grown up here, but I wouldn't be without them.

skyglass · 17/04/2023 08:14

@icelolly12 precisely, it's not childcare, they're doing a job, they're teaching (and getting paid) They're not parenting or trying to entertain their own kids, so I don't really see what value your comment makes to this thread at all.

BashirWithTheGoodBeard · 17/04/2023 08:24

It's the 2 year old. They're relentless.

Blueisthecolour1 · 17/04/2023 08:45

You’re not alone in how you feel. Raising small children (any age prior to 5) is quite often shit and hard. And yes, exhausting. It gets easier as they approach 6. And then it’s quite enjoyable. But I remember long holidays at home crawling around on the floor picking up bricks & cursing the awful weather which meant I couldn’t even take them to the park. It was horribly depressing, I did have quite a few days where I was willing bedtime on. So yes, when your youngest gets a little older you’ll start feeling better

pinkstripeycat · 17/04/2023 08:49

As soon as they can fend for themselves it’s amazing!

When they can feed themselves and you don’t always feel like you’re cooking!

You can go out without them and haven’t got to take spare clothes etc!

Yes OP teenage years are great! Also scared because they’ll leave home soon

ShimmeringShirts · 17/04/2023 09:52

Definitely gets easier as they get older. Older two (teens/ish) are a breeze in the holidays, my youngest (5) not so much. The summer holiday dread is already creeping in, he’s not entertained by anything for longer than 5 mins and he hates being too warm.

MintyCedric · 17/04/2023 09:58

Tell me the teen years are a little easier on this point?

Hahahahaha!

Nope.

My mum told me I was harder work from
age 17 than any time before (and I was a pretty good kid). I thought she was talking crap. I now have an 18.5yo DD and can confirm my mum was bang on the money.

AliceTheeCamel · 17/04/2023 10:10

Hey OP, it's definitely not just you! I have a 2 year old and a 5 year old too. It's relentless. Thankfully no inset day here, mine are in school and nursery and I'm currently sitting at my desk at work clinging to a coffee and rocking back and forth gently.

Nounoufgs · 17/04/2023 10:14

Sorry you are tired OP. Teens are much, much easier as they can arrange their social life, they tend to not need so much attention etc.

My trick was to “lean in” to the attention giving ie. If I was tired and needing some me time, I would shower them with attention and enthusiasm, wear them out then get them to bed early 😀

paulthepython · 17/04/2023 10:16

I'm sitting at the kitchen table without even the energy to microwave my cold brew that I didn't have time to drink before the school run. My 3 year old is having computer tablet time and I'm so completely and utterly exhausted, I feel your post so so badly. And yes...I'll miss it when they're grown and yes it's going so fast and yes they are the light of my life....but I'm just done and I don't even have the energy to do anything about it. I'm just here to say you aren't alone and I'm pretty sure this is a universal feeling so it must get better otherwise I just don't think anyone would survive. Hope your next holiday is a more peaceful one - I've booked 3 days in Spain with my mum and without the kids and honestly I'm living for it!

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 17/04/2023 10:19

LetsPlayShadowlands · 16/04/2023 11:06

Also hate it when they tag an inset day on to a holiday!

Ds3's school once tagged almost ALL of their inset days onto the start of the Christmas holiday, so he broke up around the 14th of December! So I had him underfoot while I was trying to do all the last minute sorting out for Christmas and ds1 and ds2 moaning at me because their schools didn't break up until over a week later.

Fun times.

@YukoandHiro - it does get better, honestly - and as previous posters have said, I don't think you have to wait until the teenage years.

theWarOnPeace · 17/04/2023 10:27

paulthepython · 17/04/2023 10:16

I'm sitting at the kitchen table without even the energy to microwave my cold brew that I didn't have time to drink before the school run. My 3 year old is having computer tablet time and I'm so completely and utterly exhausted, I feel your post so so badly. And yes...I'll miss it when they're grown and yes it's going so fast and yes they are the light of my life....but I'm just done and I don't even have the energy to do anything about it. I'm just here to say you aren't alone and I'm pretty sure this is a universal feeling so it must get better otherwise I just don't think anyone would survive. Hope your next holiday is a more peaceful one - I've booked 3 days in Spain with my mum and without the kids and honestly I'm living for it!

Why are you microwaving a cold brew? 😂 I don’t actually know how cold brew works - can’t you just knock it back cold? Honestly sometimes the tablet time has to come out so you can stare into space for a minute. My kids didn’t have tablets until they were late primary and really not sure what I thought I was achieving. I think I was a real martyr when my kids were younger and now I’m sort of in my own recovery from the intensive baby/toddler years. The enjoyment of something like a bit of toast and a coffee now they’re all in school is nothing short of exquisite. You’ll get there soon and these exhausting days of cold coffee will be a distant memory.

We have an inset today but I’m pretending they’re at school while I’m working. Reality is they’re playing Minecraft upstairs in a huddle.

GlasgowGal82 · 17/04/2023 11:00

That's a hard age! It does get easier. We have a similar age gap but my two are now 5 and 8 and it is much, much easier already! Once they are back in school/nursery book a day off for yourself to recover. You deserve time to rest.

BEXY39 · 17/04/2023 11:59

I’m with you! The relief at school drop off this morning was real, DS age 6 is HARD WORK! I also have DD age 3 and DD 6 months. Another few weeks maternity leave then back to work full time Monday-Friday….

DH works nights, so currently sleeps all morning and often part of the afternoon too. I really had to bite my tongue the other day when he very sincerely told me ‘I’ve only had 6 hours sleep, it’s not enough’. 🙄

It’s going to be a real shock for him when I go back to work….! 🙈

paulthepython · 17/04/2023 12:18

theWarOnPeace · 17/04/2023 10:27

Why are you microwaving a cold brew? 😂 I don’t actually know how cold brew works - can’t you just knock it back cold? Honestly sometimes the tablet time has to come out so you can stare into space for a minute. My kids didn’t have tablets until they were late primary and really not sure what I thought I was achieving. I think I was a real martyr when my kids were younger and now I’m sort of in my own recovery from the intensive baby/toddler years. The enjoyment of something like a bit of toast and a coffee now they’re all in school is nothing short of exquisite. You’ll get there soon and these exhausting days of cold coffee will be a distant memory.

We have an inset today but I’m pretending they’re at school while I’m working. Reality is they’re playing Minecraft upstairs in a huddle.

Show quote history

Lol, a cold cup of tea...I can't drink cold tea, I think that's my line in the sand 🤣

BungleandGeorge · 17/04/2023 12:36

I think for many people preschool
year and primary school age is the easiest, so you haven’t got long to go! Unfortunately I think it gets harder again at secondary school but in a different way (less physically more mentally demanding). Obviously depends on your child though

moomoomoo27 · 19/04/2023 09:16

icelolly12 · 17/04/2023 07:56

I really think some parents resent looking after their own children and can't wait to palm them off on Teachers, whilst moaning how easy Teacher have it (despite the fact they have yours and 20 odd others to deal with!) School is not free childcare!

I think it's most parents, but they don't often admit to it.

I think people are starting to wise up to it despite all the social media technicolour, which is one of the reasons fewer people are having kids.

There are only a minority of parents I can think of who both genuinely enjoy being parents and really are good at it. And some of those it's taken multiple runs at family life with different people to get there.

Unfortunately parenting is something that people broadly see as something "everyone" does, rather than something that, like any other skill or intensive lifestyle, only a minority are good at and want to do 24/7.