To not take my DC's on day trips every w/e?

[WinterSnow]

A lot of parents I know spend their free time heading off to different places with their DC's, country walks, zoo's, museums, soft play areas etc..

My DC's (3 & 5) are really happy playing in the garden, toddling down to the shops and can spend literally hours playing together with their toys.

We do go on trips sometimes and they have swimming lessons & DS plays sports but I feel a little guilty we don't visit more places with them, aibu?

[ShatnersBassoon]

YABU if you're making yourself feel guilty by not taking you children out more often. Take them somewhere and stop feeling guilty.

[LaWeasel]

I'm a SAHM who can't drive in a fairly basic area so I spend all week doing 'ordinary' things with my toddler.

I love going out at the weekend and doing something a bit unusual! Not necessarily expensive things, but just going somewhere slightly further away to walk around somewhere different and have a change of scenary is really lovely.

[fuzzpigFriday]

ATM we don't even do stuff like swimming and cinema, they cost so much. However I'm starting work soon, and DD will be at FT school in September, so I'll try to do something cheap nice on the weekends for just the two of us - there's special offers on Saturday films etc (she's never been to the cinema) But it'll only be stuff we can do in town, not further afield usually.

[LaWeasel]

OP - out of curiosity, you say you see the families going off every weekend, are you sure that they are going for days out and not to visit friends/family/birthday parties?

We have a month of stuff going on every weekend but two are visiting with family/friends one is a party at a theme park and another is a free local festival.

I'm not sure that my 2yo is that interested in any of those! It's just what has come up and we fancied doing.

[mendipgirl]

Agree with cat, I don't go to places for a whole day with DCs but do like to get out of the house at some point every day: park, walk in the countryside, ( live there so just means walk out of the house and turn right) or visiting friends/ family. Nothing we have to spend any money on though!

[valiumredhead]

Lots of people I know have yearly passes to the zoo and farm, maybe the people in your street have something similar OP?

[BsshBossh]

Of course YANBU.

However, we are out and about most weekends doing stuff (museums, eating out, galleries, parks, friends/families) but only because DH and I love doing it and did stuff like this pre-DD too. DD (3) has never been to soft play though as I doubt I could stand it and luckily where we live (London) they're loads of things for us to do.

If you want to chill out then that's fine (and we chill out odd days too) and suits you/your family but each to their own.

[DamselInDisarray]

I don't count trips to the local museum or soft play as day trips. Day trips are where you head out far away all day for an adventure and involve sleeping children on the way home. We certainly aren't doing that every weekend (not even if we could afford it).

We regularly take the kids out to the (free) local museums at the weekend and we take them swimming every week (also free). Or we go to the park. We very rarely go to soft play as the local ones are too small to entertain an 11 year old (even if my toddler loves them). I work at home most of the time so I absolutely do not want to spend my weekends in the house all day. I like to get out. I used to have a pass for the zoo when we lived very near the zoo, it wasn't expensive and we could go along whenever we liked. It did make the zoo less of a special day out though.

However, if you're happy being in and so are they, then enjoy it.

[mum0fthree]

We have the National Trust Annual Pass, really good value for money. Costs the same for family of five for the year as two entries to AT. Last place we went too had, historical mansion, maze, gardens, adventure playground and loads more besides.

[fuzzpigFriday]

Not doing day trips (I like Damsel's definition involving sleeping children!) does not necessarily mean being stuck in the house all day - DD's favourite weekend activity is a long walk along local footpaths, catching and investigating insects, looking for birds/fish/slowworms etc. Since having DCs I've become a firm believer in "the best things in life are free" - good thing too as we have very little money :o

[ohnelly]

Yanbu!! Days out are occasional treats here, could not afford to do them every weekend. Most weekends we will go to the park or for a walk (weather permitting) and they enjoy that just as much

[queenmaeve]

If your children are happy I wouldn't worry. We often have weekends when we all just stay around the house, in the summer we could go a few days without anyone going anywhere. But we have lots to do here and plenty of grounds for the dc to play in, if I lived in town I would feel the need to get out more

[ProfYaffle]

I agree with others about the distinction between 'day trips' and 'getting out of the house'. An official 'day trip' with admission fees and a picnic happen maybe 5 times a year. But we're 'out of the house' every weekend not necessarily spending money to do so, eg visiting family and friends (both sets of grandparents not local so visit involves whole weekend), kids club cinema, working on the allotment, local fete, car boot sales, park, swimming etc.

[sausagesandmarmelade]

Seriously you feel guilty?????

That's ridiculous. As long as children are stimulated and exercised it really doesn't matter. Trips to the Zoo etc can cost an arm and a leg...I don't know how parents afford to do that sort of thing all the time.

Swimming is excellent...as it makes them confident in water...walking...museums..books.

You say your children are happy with what they are doing...then that's it.
They'd probably really appreciate an occasional trip to the zoo or whatever...but there has be be balance.

[sausagesandmarmelade]

prof sounds like your kids have a great time...working on an allotment is really educational too.

as is maybe baking cookies...there are so many things you can do with kids.

[ProfYaffle]

Thanks sausages

[queenmaeve]

Also when we do tell the dc they are going on a proper day trip they are so excited. Dont think that would be the case if it happened every weekend

[jeckadeck]

YANBU. A bit of variety is good and its nice to do trips if you can from time to time but I think feeling you have to do it every weekend is more about competitive parenting tbh. A lot of this stuff is bloody expensive these days. Nothing wrong with being at home and having fun.

[halcyondays]

We usually go out somewhere at the weekend for the sake of our sanity. Something like the park, soft play, outdoor paddling pool, local events, visiting granny etc. I wouldn't call going to a local soft play a day trip though, a day trip would be when you are out all day, going a bit further away, maybe to the zoo or something. Both dd's have a lot of energy to burn off so getting them out for a bit to run around really helps and we like to have a change of scene ourselves. On the odd occasion we stay at home if we are really tired and can't be bothered going out, or if we're trying to blitz the house.

[mrsbiscuits]

Sheeit ....do people really arrange stuff every weekend, when do they get their cleaning done? ;) I work full time and at least half my weekend is spent catching up on housework and although we might go to soft play or to the park to walk the dog for the most part that is about it. We have visitors and go and see family and friends every few weeks or so but planned days out are really reserved for special occaisions. ie. Legoland for DS's birthday.

[Oblomov]

You feel guilty ? I don't. I take them occassionally.
I, like Valium, love pottering. What a FAB word that is.
And when does all the washing and ironing get done.
Some of the mums in the playground, it seems like its a bit competitive, as if it makes you a better parent, to be taking them, thorpe park, one dya, chessington the next, natural history museum the next.
I refuse. In principal.
This morning they have been riding on daddys back round the lounge. ANd dancing. ds1(7) and ds2(2) to LMFAO Party Antheum. Shufflin'. Which I think is one of the best videos I have ever seen. Its fab. Funny. and the dancing is so cool.
And we laughed and laughed. Does some poxy 'day out' compete with that ? I think not.

[DamselInDisarray]

The answer is never to iron anything.

We fit in the cleaning and washing with what we're doing and get stuff done during the week as and when. That leaves plenty of time for both getting out the house (to do fun but not impressive or boast-worthy activities: park, walks, cycling, swimming, visiting gardening centres to eat cake/adventure play/look in the pet shop), going to local museums) or pottering around the house/garden if we prefer.

The competitive parents in the playground cannot possibly do proper day trips every weekend, both days. That would be madness. Day trips are generally exhausting (hence the sleeping children on the way home) and would be far less exciting is they were so frequent.

[venusandmars]

YANBU

When I was young my parents were very keen on 'educating' us and our weekends were an endless round of visits to boring historic castles, educational nature walks, or visiting with family friends. I sooooo.. envied my friend next door who could play at home or in the street all day. Plus I was terribly travel sick - I can't remember any historical castles or dates or identify a butterfly, but I can tell you which trees I was sick behind

With my dds it was a complicated balancing act - dd2 would have gone EVERY weekend to the sealife centre (costing us £40 and making dd1 travel sick), dd1's most favourite activity was the 'house picnic' (for cold rainy weather) when we'd clear all the furniture, put rugs on the floor, and eat food with our fingers.

I guess that one dd is going to be eternally high maintenance, and the other isn't.