...to find the holidays boring and frustrating?

[ftm42]

At the point where we're getting stir crazy - my 3 DSs are obsessively playing on XBox / TV / computer; it's raining ; they're wimps and won't go out in the rain! I need to go into town to run some errands and have offered to take them with me, with the 'bribe' being that they get to browse WH Smiths for a magazine while I return some stuff to M&S. Now they want to complicate things - one wants to go shopping on his own with his pocket money [which we did a week or so ago anyway but didn't spend it all]; one can't be bothered coming at all and the other is too young to go on his own so will need to stay with me most of the time. They just seem to want to do two things - play video games / spend money! Boring boring boring! Why can't they read a book / play in the park opposite / build a train set / etc etc

I hope to take them to Wales tomorrow for a few days break so hopefully that'll help [though they'll be XBox-free [yippee], but we have a 'proper' family holiday booked from 20th-30th August so hope the weather cheers up for then!

Are you me ,all this sounds very familiar!

How old are they?

If the amount of screen time they are getting is annoying you, can you just not turn it off? Tell them to use their imaginations, build a go-cart in the shed/garage, go out and get some exercise - chuck them outside and not let them back in!! (unless it is raining obv.!)

If you want them to do something else I really do think you just need to tell them to turn it off. They will soon get bored of being bored and amuse themselves! Or you could say (as I often do!) " Find something to do or I will find something for you..and it will be chores!!" They soon do! [evil mother emoticon]

Cant help on the shopping dilemma, sorry!

I don't let Ds (8) have more than one dvds worth of screen time a day.

But I am evil and if he ever says he's bored i have a supply of maths books, english books which come out.

YANBU! Tis an ordeal.
I do A LOT of shopping online, and beg DH to do bits and pieces errands/shopping in his lunch hour.
Any type of shopping expedition is increasingly full of bribes/conditions/strops/sibling rivalry moments.

Can't even face trying to go away with them, you're brave! Mine fight like ferrets in the bag in the car, too.
There are 5 of us to get to agree to go anywhere (not usually counting DH), or find something suitable for. I have to do ALL the work for us to go out (packing bags, water, food, anything else we need) so we mostly just don't go out, but I am the one who goes stir crazy the worst.

DD has a social life (sigh). She gets invited to a friend's and still has clubs meeting in the holidays. The others do almost nothing. We strictly limit screen time, too (today is a screen day as weather is dodgy).

ps: I made that sound awful, but it's not all stressful moments, just more stress than I would like.

YAdefNBU. So far we have done 3 weeks of swimming pool, 2 days of very expensive theme park, 2 days of beach. Oh, and 3 hours of phonics workbooks with full-scale collective whinging. For the past week it's been mostly Tom and Jerry for them and MN for me. Can't even do online shopping as supposed to be saving for house alterations. Still only halfway through...

Do you also find that whenever you suggest something to do, the children are not at all enthusiastic and refuse to go. I thought going swimming would be nice today... got a chorus of No! Did get them to leave the house eventually. Maybe it's better not to give choices and just tell them that they have until 9.30 to get ready as at that time we are going out.

it doesn't improve when they are teenagers

dd(14) is off with her friends

I am still as trapped as I ever was !

WHY is it raining? Make it stop! It is supposed to be summer FFS.

I love the holidays and 8y DD being off school. Helps that I am off for the holidays too. I like the lack of routine and doing what we want.

We have just had a fortnight's holiday with DH (got back from US this morning) which takes up a big chunk of it.

DD doesn't get very much screen time at all in the holidays. I don't like her in front of the TV or computer games in holidays as it just seems such a waste - so we try and get out and abaout a lot. This summer we have a few geocaching trips planned - finger's crossed it stays dry, if not a bit warm.

Summer hols are fun only if it's not raining. I'm not even asking for bright sunshine, just an end to this constant pitter-patter of fecking rain

When it's raining, we end up either watching tv or doing something that involves money! I tried imaginative play like pretending to run a restaurant, baking cakes, etc etc, but really that is fun only for a day or two...not for weeks and weeks!

When the weather is dry, the days are so peaceful. We go to the park, cycle around the neighbourhood, or just muck about in the garden. Why can't this stupid rain stop? AAARGHH!!

Morloth send me your rain, I will gladly swap you for 35° heat.

what's geocaching?

well we have discovered geocaching.....bit of a hobby for all . and we're all a bit obsessed with it now!!

been scavenging around for things to put in caches
been looking at local caches on website
been out and about caching locally....discovering places we didnt know existed...
went to our first geo cache meet at a lvely forset....so meeting new people

and getting fresh air and exercise,nobody minds the rain!

Love 'em! Get to lie in later than 6am, get to sit down for my lunch.
Last week the kids even miraculously managed to all be out with friends for the day simultaneously, plus DH out, so I experienced the novelty of being in my own house ALONE! Never had that before, as when kids were at nursery or school I've always been at work.
Fabulous. Don't even mind the rain!

Not good planning to have a new baby 2 days after the holidays start either. DTSs (8) are driving me nuts. I desperately want to do fun things with them but am too knackered/busy with baby/can't get out of the house!

DH has been taking them out when he's at home but DTS1 split his head open on Sunday and cannot go swimming/do any sports activities/ride his bike (because helmet will rub on it) until it's healed which will not be until next week. At least DD (13)is away living it up in LA/Las Vegas at a family wedding we should all have gone to (until I found I was expecting DS3!). Poor DTS are too young to have gone and too much for my parents to have handled.

Feel so sorry for them .