To think that 6 weeks hol is too long?

[bananalover]

Can't help thinking that 3 or 4 would be better for parents and kids, who get bored so easily.

I love the 6 weeks holidays I only wish i could spend more of it with my sons. I do get good A/L and have great F & F who help out + a play scheme occasionally. It is a bit of a juggling act and it is the only time of the year i feel pangs of guilt that i am 'shipping' them out

From MOWIOL - Bet I get shot down in flames by lots of working mums who feel hard done by. And before you judge...my husband worked bloody hard so I could stay home with our two kids. THEN when they went to school I went out and did degree, etc., etc. We had literally no money.

You probably will not get shot down by too many working mothers, as apart from teachers - who get the holidays as well - most are probably a bit busy with their kids right now to be surfing mumsnet.

Well done you, for having a husband who worked bloody hard and actually got paid well for working hard, lots of people work bloody hard and do not get paid that well.

And well done for managing a degree, while having literally no money, loads of people all over the world do this...but ofcourse many must have some sort of money to be able to have the opportunity. You might have more money if you actually worked as well - and that might have saved you from eventually having literally no money!

I hope you are feeling very smug and tut tutting all those working mums out there....nice.

No. I love that they get a long break.
Ok it is a nightmere for me because I work full time but I manage to get two weeks off when I go away with them.They have a ball for the rest of the holiday.

The school year is cyclical. Everything changes when they go back in September, so they need a longer break to set it apart from the shorter breaks at Christmas and Easter, when everything is still the same after they go back.

The kids don't forget everything they've learned. Yes, they come back a bit rusty but are usually back up to speed within a couple of weeks (and the ones who aren't are the ones who were never really there to begin with)

So 6 weeks is just right for the kids.

But most people who are moaning about having to put up with tantums, mess etc do not have brain damaged children.

I had one, discovered that I have grumpy tendencies around children and am not a natual mother so stopped with the one. I am now a great and content mother with one child rather than a stesshead with 3. It is not difficult.

One DS is only getting 5 weeks and the other DS is getting 6 weeks. Bit of a shame but I love the holidays for them.
There is so much for them to do.

Firstly - snowdropz, I did not say at any point my husband was well paid for working hard. He was not well paid given the nature of his job but by doing overtime he managed to balance the books. Secondly - I did not mean to sound smug, I meant to sound annoyed. It almost seems to me that people get fed up with having their kids around during the holidays rather than enjoying their company. I AM very sorry about offending Riven - I admit, I did not take into account a situation like yours so my apologies. I'll slink off now.

MOWIOL I too am a degree educated sahm, whose husband works hard so that I can do this.I enjoy being with my kids, but for six weeks with daily torrential rain, living in a tiny terraced house believe me it becomes a real drag.The holidays should be brought forward and shortened imo. The weather patterns of recent years have changed,we should have the longer holidays in the spring, but even then they should be shorter to help those people who work sort out childcare etc as not everybody can or indeed wnts to be a sahm, lets face it some are not able to have a choice.

RIVEN That is disgusting only getting 6 hours respite, I bet it is quite a hard time for youI feel guilty about my rant last night about bloody kids, bloody weather etc, I am just a whinger at the moa wet weather whinger at that. I think there is a summer holidays wizard who casts a wet and windy cast on us in our neck of the woods.Our local shops were undre 3ft of water the olther day, un believable.I am taking ddJust 8 for an open air theatre performance tommorrow, you can bet your boots it will lash down for that, we have been told no brollies we may obscure the view

Riven I don't know how you do it. You have my full respect. And your DH does too. Respite for carers is totally shit in this country.

I think some people resent holidays as it reduces their Mumsnet time

RIVEN My friends dd has sn and there has been a great holiday club been put on at local gym .Her dd has peg feeds etc and severe developmental delay, those who are involved with the running of the club are trained staff.I think it is for three hours a day for 2 or 3 weeks, it is a shame that there is not any thing like this by you.The particular gym is a council run place and has specialist facilites etc.

Riven - I fully admit to being very thoughtless in my post. I doubt if I would have been able to cope during the holidays if I was in your shoes.

I think I just seem to remember my childhood summer holidays as being like the darling buds of may,perhaps I am just seeing things through rose tint spectacles.We had a garden though, and a field over the road,a local inner city riding school, and lots of sun remember 76' etc.

MOWIOL I am the one who was the whinger last night, but had a really crap day,took them to the cinema grandparents etc took dd shops for birthday prent, all my efforts met with tantrumsI just think we seemed to have more carefree outdoor freedom to burn off steam.

BYE for now am off to mop up the rain soaked floors again, even my dog dosn't want to go out for fear of getting drowned in a torrent.

I think DC need the long break. My three teenagers will sleep the first week away, only getting up to eat or play cricket. After that they will find something to do with their time.....If they don't I will.

We've got a weeks sport camp booked for all three. The 17 year old has a few jobs lined up and is still looking for premanent part time work. Suspect they will do the swimming, tennis, cinema etc. We do have some family time planned with relatives, and like all teenagers they can't wait for that.

of course it's not too long. A 6 week holiday is a fantastic idea.

YABU. It's good to have a complete break for doing other things apart from school and going back refreshed in the Autumn.

Fuck it. I love the holidays. No excuses, no reasoning .I don't want more time at Christmas when its cold and dark.

Long summers are good for children, they learn from getting bored and finding things to do.

My best memories as a child all centre on the long summer holiday, books are written about it and lives are lived.

"I just think we seemed to have more carefree outdoor freedom to burn off steam."

Well, give them more carefree outdoor freedom then!

6 weeks was great when i was a child....

DH got longer at private school.

and after all, any other time of year, it's not that nice weather wise that you can throw them out for a reasonable part of the day