People shopping on a Sunday.

[mrsgetonwithit]

Another thread about kids in shops after 8pm got me thinking about this.

When I am out and about on a Sunday [or Bank hols] I am amazed at the amount of people taking their kids shopping on a Sunday.

I work every bank hol and when its a beautiful day there they are dragging their kids around the shops.

Why don't people [some] take their kids to the beach or moors or park anymore.

When I was young every Sunday my dad used to take my bro and I either swimming or fishing or the moors/beach for a few hours on a Sunday morn. My mum stayed home to cook the roast and then we palyed games in the garden or board games indoors after the meal.

This was a family day spent with the family.

So the question is What do you do on a Sunday?

Please don't say they shop on a Sunday because they work all week because shops are open late and on Saturdays.

so what...move on. She has.

and me too.

Yes MrsChips, of course- sounds like it sat posting 11 pages later...

"But I know on my death bed I won't be saying ''oh I wish I spent more times at the shops''"

My dd's idea of heaven would be us going shopping (clothes/shoes), her buying and me paying

"By the time I get the meal over and homeworks done it's after 7"

The op's ds does his homework on a Sunday remember

YABU. It's not really up to you what day people choose to do their shopping on is it? Maybe sunday is the only free day they have. Maybe they went to the park on a saturday.

I often have to go to the shops on a sunday - it's the only chance I get

Chaotic - on a Tuesday night I really really struggle.

Get in the door around 5.30, cook tea (and yes I do have a slow cooker but I still have veggies/rice to do), do homework with DD2 (DD1 does her own) and then I have to get DD1 out the door to Karate for 7pm.

I really do find it very difficult to get it all done in time.

Yet another reason why I'm a crap mum I suppose, I'm not conforming to the OP's standards

Oh and another thing - honestly how many people sit and read to their almost 10 year old?

Sorry DD2 out to Karate not DD1, DD1 is left to do her homework

Sockpuppets indeed.

Itisnotgoingwelltoday wrote: "Oh and another thing - honestly how many people sit and read to their almost 10 year old?"

Dear God, woman - do you not embarrass the hell out of them on Christmas Eve by insisting on reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' as they try to run away from you around the house, as you limp behind shouting, 'But it's all about the atmosphere'?

Just me then?

LOL linerunner - I've started a thread in chat about it.

I haven't read to DD2 in ages, she's 9, but she reads loads by herself.

I do, however, embarrass my kids in lots of other ways

The OP has a point and some places you can't shop on a Sunday because the shops are shut. Where I live, the bakers are open on a Sunday morning and perhaps a cafe but that is it...the main large shops are only allowed to trade on Sunday on the weekends before Christmas. It is nice - it means Sunday is a lazy day.

Some shops here are closed on a Monday as well as Sunday, and they close for lunch, including the banks.

I rang the tax office here about midday one day to be told it was lunchtime and to call back. I nearly pmsl as HMRC never sleeps!

sunday is the day I tell my kids to go and amuse themselves lol

I'm a baaaad mummy

they are loving this milder weather and are out making a rope swing in the garden as we speak

Scaryteacher - in the town I live in the only big shop open is Tescos. I'm in a small town in Northern Ireland with a predominantly religious make up and the shops just aren't open.

I don't have a problem with that, it's the forcing down the throat attitude in the OP that I have a problem with.

And when did the rules change and children only ever had to do stuff they liked and didn't get made to do stuff sometimes just because they were told to? Or they had to do what they were told?

Or am I just old?

I live in birmingham and we don't have beaches or moors, only shops

I don't think the op meant that it had to be productive moor walking or beaches every weekend, more that she didn't see the fun in it becoming just another time to (excuse the cliche) worship ay the altar of consumerism. I'm sure just chilling at home en famille, in pjs or whatever doesn't count.

Counts as an awesome weekend to me anyway!

But you must be going into the shops on a Sunday to know they're full of families

I took from some of the OP's comments that she thought that Sundays were a "special" day and should stay as such

"mrsgetonwithit Sun 06-Mar-11 08:48:53

High horse, yes, I believe in keeping Sundays special, obviously nobody on here does and that is todays society I am afraid.........

I am just glad my friends and family think the same."

I could be taking that the wrong way, but where I come from the keep Sunday special brigade are predominately fundamentalist Christian groups.

Apocalypse - she only knows because she walks/drives past on her way to do worthy stuff.

I went to Asda today.

Then to the community farm.

Sometimes we go out on a Saturday then shop on a Sunday. nowt wrong with that. As long as you getf amily time.

At least one of my boys will spend a day runninga round a farm with my DH on a weekend, once a month we will take two with us (not safe for younger two so we need to have a babysitter). They have a wonderful childhood; come Autumn they will be dancing on the float we all helped build every weekend and learning all about teamwork and fruits of labours and all that.

And sometimes they need to learn that chores matter too, so we go shopping. Or garden. Or do houswork. Because if I do all that when they are at school, there will be some pissed off DIL posting on here in a decade or so that her DP does nothing around the house and doesn't have a clue.

But surely it should be a blur as she races home to make angel wings for the family to wear at their everything homemade including the yorkshire puds Sunday lunch ??!

FWIW we spent yesterday at the beach, today dd and dp have gone for a walk, me and ds have stayed home. Ds is dossing downstairs, i'm dossing up ere doing important work

Blimey - if I forced expected my 14 and 17 year old DS's to spend Sunday exclusively with me they'd be reporting me to Childline.

A walk in our local woods would indeed be interesting and educational.

I can see me now saying "oooh look up there in that tree - that's the Lesser Spotted Nappysack hanging from the branch and if you peek into the undergrowth you will find a nest of Condom Worms"

Then we could skip home along the dual carriageway just in time to huddle around the radio to listen to the World Service and drink lashings of ginger beer.

Much as I'd love to live in Utopia I guess I'll have to remain in the realms of Real Life.

(I did my shopping yesterday btw)

I am on my weekend "off" because the kids are with XH.

DP came round last night and stayed over but he got called out first thing this morning (he's a vet) and I've told him to stay away - I feel crap and I don't want to have to be pleasant to him

And my XH is a born again Christian who believes in the keeping Sunday special attitude.

I don't - I'd love a Sunday to be different but by the time I do all the running around the rest of the week it's just not practical.

Well Mrsgetonwith it you were amazingly blessed to have a childhood like that, so I'm not surprised you have set this as your "gold standard" for Sundays.

However the reality of it is that many of us don't live near a beach or a moor; don't possess a car (or do but have you seen the cost of petrol recently?); have kids going to parties/playing in football matches/swimming in galas/performing in concerts etc and all the other zillions of things that people have in their diaries on Sundays.

I really don't think you can ever judge other people's families and their habits. You never know what their circumstances are and it's hardly child neglect going shopping! In the summer we do a lot of outdoor stuff but in the winter my kids would prefer to do shopping/cinema etc. is that so terrible?

so, inspired by this thread this morning DP, DDs and I went to mass, went to park and walked to the local (artificial) beach in the freezing cold. Then stopped by the shops on our way home as i like to teach dds that life isn't all beaches and swingparks, and bought some fresh veg for tonights roast which is now cooking as are the cakes DD1 and i made while DD2 and DP took their nap.

Surely i win mum of the weekend?

But tomorrow i'll stick DDs in the double buggy and doss around outside river island whilst DDs stare vacantly out of the buggy picking their noses whilst eating sausage rolls from greggs.

But thats ok cos its sundays that are special innit??

BTW i have never cooked a roast in my life but hate being judged so if it fails i'm blaming OP!

RuelaChesty - you have to come back and let us know how the roast goes

Maybe they need something from the shops? Judgey pants.