what were the summer holidays like when you were a child ?

[Baconface7]

holiday every summer

From the ages of 6-12 or so, three long hot months of fighting with my brother until my mom lost it and turned us out of the house. On weekends she and my dad would take us swimming and boating with a picnic at a lake nearby. I used to play with the two younger neighbor kids. We’d go swimming in the river nearby and play dolls or “orphans”. I don’t remember much about that game, other than that we were orphans. It might have been based on The Boxcar Children (I only liked the first book; thought they were rubbish after they stopped being self reliant 🤣)

From 13 on I used to stay at friends’ houses a lot. I’m 41 now and still have the same best friend as I did then. We still talk about the most amazing summers when we were 13 and 14, before we got jobs. Back then I used to go stay at her house and we’d ride our bikes to a nearby gas station that rented videos. We’d buy cheese balls and Mountain Dew and rent a stack of VHS tapes, then go back to hers and mess around on the trampoline or play with her dog or whatever. We’d stay up until the wee hours of the morning eating snacks and watching movies, then wake up at noon and ride our bikes to the beach and swim. When we got tired, we’d pedal off to the gas station and do it all over again. Bliss ❤️

Neither of our families ever had money for vacations or anything like that. We never went anywhere or rode on a plane until our senior class trip when we were 17. But we both still say we’d give anything to go back to those summers for just a few days.

Endless. Grew up in the States so long and hot. We'd drive up to an island off Canada for a week on a farm. Or go to Spain - flying to England to see family then driving down. God with three kids my mother must have had the patience of a saint (1960s-70s).

Not every year, but we’d go back to my parents home country, by car and visit family all over. Get bitten by mosquitoes, but have an amazing time swimming, walking in the country, motorcycling, touring, stuffing my face with food including cheap ice cream.

If we weren’t going on holiday we’d just be home whilst mum and dad worked doing chores such as making friends with the twin tub, Hoover, duster, cooker 🥱

Same for us. X

6 weeks at the beach every year. Parents self-employer/seasonally employed so it could be done. Christmas dinner cooked on a gas stove, and bbq, kerosene fridge and lamps. Swimming, fishing, bonfires on the beach, bathing in the river. endless happy days. Sad my DC haven’t had the same experience.

Boring. I can count on one hand how many holidays we took and they were always to a relative’s hotel. Occasional day out to the coast or the zoo. Spent most of my summer hols in local parks. My dad didn’t take much time off and my mum worked most of it from home. When I was a teen it was just about wandering around with friends or staying at home watching TV. Was quite glad to get back to school tbh. Although I remember being embarrassed that I didn’t have much to talk about from the holidays.

Age 7-12 I remember spending most of the time with my sister at home while mum worked. Dad not present much. We had water fights, paddling pool, dressed up, made failed cakes, danced around to take that, made up routines, wrote letters to mark Owen. I don't think we went on holiday much but once we did go to Disney world and I remember nothing except getting a giant lolly.

Age 12-uni I am drawing blanks. I think I spent a lot of time with my nieces playing. I read a lot of books which my family mocked me for.

I find it hard now because my daughter does ipad. It's sad. Reading Charlie and the chocolate factory and Judy Blume was such a joy. And messing about in the garden seems so wholesome.

However I do also remember being anxious about my mum dying and not coming home and waiting at the window for long periods and making bizarre pledges to god if she could come home. And my older sister was a terrible bully and quite violent at times which was distressing. So not sure it was that wholesome.

I spent all my time at the local stables. Ponies and more ponies! Oh for those long carefree days. 🐴🐴🐴

Long, hot, and dry (not the UK). Swimming in the local pool morning, afternoon, and evening. Playing with friends, freedom to do whatever we wanted (it was the 70s), not a care in the world.

In the 1960’s we had eight weeks off school.
Parents didn’t take us anywhere as they had no money, no transport and most kid friendly theme parks etc didn’t exist.
The good thing was that everyone was in the same situation, so we played out with the neighbours kids all day. In the garden, down on the reccy at the bottom of the road and in the woods.
Happy days!

1980s as a teenager - two weeks with parents in Spain / Italy. The rest of the time home alone with older brother being bullied and going shoplifting together. There were no days out anywhere as parents were at work. I did see friends but limited options really for 11-13 year olds to do stuff.

I used to read a lot to get through the days.

1970's. Playing out with friends, riding bikes in the park, board games, paddling pools, water fights, walking to the shops, reading the whole Famous Five series.
One week we we went camping as a family setting off at 4am for the long drive.
Don't remember a lot of rain tbh.

Bored. Both parents worked but holiday clubs as we know them today didn’t really exist. Always spent 2 weeks with my grandma which was ok, very chilled and she taught me how to sew and play cards.

Holidays were either a cottage in Cornwall or a cottage in Yorkshire. Once there we did days out my parents wanted to do, never kid oriented. Never went to the beach for a day because mum hated them. We did national trust houses, gardens, steam train museums etc. Never ate out, always a picnic.

Days at home with my parents when they were on leave were spent fitting around what they wanted eg dad gardening and DIY and mum shopping and cooking. I vividly recall begging her one hot sunny day to take us to the beach. It was such a gorgeous day. She did, we went on sand while she sat on the sea wall. After 45 mins she’d had enough and we drove home.

Determined to make my DCs summers more fun, though working full time. We always go on child centred holidays and ensure days out are planned eg theme parks, beach days, play dates with friends.

It seemed like it was always hot, feel like I lived in shorts.

We couldn't afford a holiday in the summer, so we spent all our days playing out on the estate/in the woods/fields with other local kids. There was a council playscheme that used to run for a few weeks, and we would go to that (they'd do craft/treasure hunt type activities and the occasional day out on a minibus)

Boring! We lived in the arse end of nowhere so it was just me and my sister for 6 weeks.
My grandmother lived with us and looked after us while my parents worked so me and my sister just disappeared into the fields for hours on end. We had ponies and various other farm animals to keep us amused and while we were in primary school it was probably classed as idyllic, once we got to high school it started driving us mad!
We had very few holidays, we were lucky if we got a day out to an agricultural show or national trust place (again, very boring for teenagers!)
On the plus side I got a break from the incessant bullying at school so it wasn't all bad. I do remember the weather being much better, but that could be rose tinted glasses 😂

F

Out on my bike, playing with friends, swimming in the river that runs through our village or playing on our local Rec. Out at 8 but had to be back by 5 for tea.

If it was raining I would read in my room.

The third week in August I would go away for the week with my Dad to Great Yarmouth. We always went to California Cliffs and would take part in all the entertainment. Quizzes, bingo, wrestling shows, talent contests and discos. I would go to the kids clubs and make new friends.

It was a happy time.

Oh and for a few summers when I was younger, our primary school used to let the community use its outside swimming pool, so my friends and I would be there every afternoon swimming.

We had a lot more freedom. Out and about with the other local children. Bikes, roller boots, making camps. I micromanage my children's holidays and, although they have lots of days out with friends, I'm always in the background. I wouldn't have liked this when I was young but the world has changed.

Honestly, a bit Famous Five-ish! As soon as school ended we'd be on the plane to Ireland. Six weeks staying with my bachelor uncle and with cousins nearby and another one who came from the other side of the country to stay too. Parents often stayed with an aunt a few miles away so we had the run of the place with loads of fields to explore and attention from everyone around who loved to see the English Children and feed us up.

It was idyllic, wouldn't have changed it for the world. And I regret every day that my own children haven't had that as circumstances weren't the same.

Lots of time in the garden, riding my bike, playing with siblings, roller skating, going to nearest big city once a week to shop and then see grandparents (who lived there). One two-week holiday abroad - usually France. We always drove/took the ferry, all of us piled in the back of the car and one in the boot with the luggage!

Very hot, long, carefree summers (summer break in my home county is 12 weeks) at my grandparents small holding.

Playing out all day until 10pm.
Helping with gardening and animals.
Picking fruits and vegetables and eating them straight away; tomatoes bursting with flavour after ripening under intense sun.

The sky was so full of stars back then, and the Milky Way very visible. I saw shooting stars almost every night.

Loud croaking frogs in the evening from the murky ponds outside town.

Falling asleep to the sound of crickets.

Going swimming with my cousins, and the delicious picnics my aunt prepared.

As a child, long and boring. DM never took us out without dad who worked full time. So lots of time at home, in the garden playing with siblings, annoying each other and getting into trouble. The odd day out when dad was home. Sometimes a visit to grandparents in the country or a week in a caravan, though this usually happened in term time.

after about 10 when I was allowed out by myself it was lots of time out and about getting up to no good. Swimming in rivers, exploring abandoned buildings. Once the teens hit there was lots of camping and alcohol added to the mix.

i enjoyed my summers once I was allowed some freedom. As a child though I remember feeling bored and frustrated at home. I was always planning my escape!

They were lovely for us.
We caravanned a lot and while it was normal to go away every weekend, in the summer we used to go away for 3-weeks and stay on a farm in the West Country. Not a campsite as such, would set up in the corner of a field surrounded by cattle and with a spectacular view over the cliffs to the sea. Beach, walking along the cliffs, sitting on the trailer loaded with straw bales being pulled by the tractor, seeing calf's being born, mushrooming, trawling for Mackeral, "helping" with milking............
They really were happy days. 🌞

Very similar to this. Both parents worked so we were a bit feral in the long holidays.