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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think that having children flips everything, such as bank holidays, on it's head??

16 replies

ceebeegeebies · 25/04/2011 21:37

Not sure if the title makes sense but me and DH were just saying how shattered we are after 4 days of Easter (plus the 2 weeks of school holidays before which we had split between us) whereas pre-DC, we would be sat here on Easter Monday evening all relaxed and not at all tired cos we would have had lie-ins, naps, just sat around relaxing etc in between visits, trips out etc whereas none of that has been possible (certainly not the lie-ins as my 2 DC are early birds )

Tis the same with the clocks going forwards/backwards - whereas pre-DC I used to love the clocks going backwards (an extra hour in bed) and hate the clocks going forwards (an hour less in bed), now with 2 under-5's it is the complete opposite - hate the clocks going backwards (another hour to have to fill and entertain the DC) and love the clocks going forwards (an hour less to entertain the DC)

OP posts:

TheBolter · 25/04/2011 21:39

Yes agree. It does get better as they get older though.

TheBolter · 25/04/2011 21:39

(The clock thing I definitely agree with!)

Booandpops · 25/04/2011 22:37

I agree. But I love it too, my youngest is already 3 1/2. Time flies. In a few yrs I will be shouting at them to get up at 12 pm!!!!

Schnullerbacke · 25/04/2011 22:47

Depends really. I'm having fun with the kids, mostly anyway, and whilst they can be very annoying at times, I dont think I have ever wished for my time back to pre-having them. But in saying that, I don't have to work so I guess I get to chill out a bit more during the day.

Can you find something that you equally enjoy doing and therefore feel less tired?

Groovee · 26/04/2011 10:36

Now that mine are older it doesn't seem as bad as it was when they were younger.

sims2fan · 26/04/2011 11:30

As someone who doesn't have children yet, but is trying for them, I can't wait to have kids so I can do all the fun things that places lay on over holiday weekends. This weekend I haven't left the house since Saturday and am pretty bored. I have a little booklet of things that are on in my area and I would have loved to have had kids to take to some of the events. I sometimes borrow nieces and nephews but often they have plans so I can't. Probably if/when I have kids I'll feel more like you though!

thebestisyettocome · 26/04/2011 11:32

Boredom....I remember that fondly

Rosebud05 · 26/04/2011 11:43

I sometimes think it would be great to be able to 'time-walk' forward and back to different stages of your life.

Eg, when I was single, all these BH weekends off work but without a family would have been so hard. I'd have loved a family to immerse myself in and to keep be busy.

Now I have a family, including 2 pre-schoolers, I can think of nothing nicer than 4 days in a row to myself when I could stay in bed as late as I wanted and didn't have to speak to anyone if I didn't want to and could just get on with stuff .

slipperandpjsmum · 26/04/2011 11:46

Yes I remember life pre DCS (16 years ago now) and being very bored at bank hols. Now with 4 dcs I am never bored, worn out yes but never bored!

The lie ins come back as they get older and their friendships become much more a part of their lives. Sometimes I look at photos of my eldest ds and could cry for the little boy who jumped on my bed at 5 in the morning because he couldn't wait for another moment to see me. So you may be tired and may yearn for the life you had before but believe me one day you and your dh will look back on the life you have today and give anything for just a day with those little people filled with so much fun and energy and just bursting with love for the centres of their universe - you.

Original poster

ceebeegeebies · 26/04/2011 12:23

Rosebud you have hit the nail on the head - 'time-walking' would be great

I think I might have worded my OP wrong as I don't regret having DC one little bit and me and DH love spending time with them but it is just, you know, the odd wistful thought about how different things were pre-DC

OP posts:

OliPolly · 26/04/2011 12:35

I am tired and I still have another full week with DCs at home! School opens on 4th May and a few weeks later its half term

dontrunwithscissors · 26/04/2011 12:44

Our childminder is on holiday this week so DH has taken both DD's down to visit their grandparents. I'm on my own in the house for a whole week. Getting up and going to work without a mad dash/fight to get everyone ready; going to sleep and not waking up until the alarm goes off; no bedtime routine or rushing around trying to tidy up. It's been a reminder of what life used to be like. Having said all of that, I'm missing them like mad. The house feels soulless; I feel empty. I've been wandering around the house in a daze, not knowing what to do with myself. I keep thinking how dull life would be on my own. It's been fab having this week to myself, but that's more than enough for me.

BakeliteBelle · 26/04/2011 12:50

DS1 (15)has severe learning disabilities and becomes violent and unmanageable at times in the holidays. I always feel that 'holidays' don't really exist any more and are just the worst times of all for our family unless he is on respite. I always want to reach for a cold can of beer by 10am!

With DS2 (8), holidays are lovely and I can just sit in the park and watch him and his friends play - as long as DS1 is on respite - but I'm still very pleased when they all go back to school!

AllGoodNamesGone · 26/04/2011 14:37

slipperandpjsmum's post just made my eyes prickle!

I wish I could time travel so I could go back to when my children were all tiny, tell my past-self (exhausted and in dire need of a lie in!) to go and lie down for a few hours while I play with the children, hold them tight for a bit, then return to my current life for a quiet evening in front of the telly!

I think I am going to make a great Granny!

strandednomore · 26/04/2011 14:49

Oh yes I am definitely with the time-travel idea. There is no way I would give up what I have (at the moment, two dc's under 6) but I would be a much better mum if for perhaps one weekend a month I could go back to our child-free days and enjoy a drink without worrying about the hangover the next day, get up when I wanted, read a morning paper with a cup of coffee in peace, watch the news in the morning rather than Cbeebies or Handy Manny (etc)....

Insomnia11 · 26/04/2011 14:59

Why don't you take it in turns with lie-ins? We had two lie ins each this weekend and I feel very rested. I've really enjoyed being at home for four days in a row and it does feel more relaxing than work even though in a lot of ways I work a lot harder at home - Friday and Saturday night I fell asleep by 8.30pm. Was lovely having all that sleep though! We tried to get most of the jobs done in the first couple of days so we had a couple of days to just do nice things.

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