Dreading summer holidays

[CockyPants]

Term ends July 6. Return 5 September.
8 weeks of joy.

thank you she is back in 4 weeks to hospital poor kid is bored already and there is only so much disney channel i can take damn you good luck charilie

State schools have shorter holidays and some do have organised activities taking place on the school sites during the school holidays.

The YMCA run summer activities for all children, at their own and many state school sites. My DCs have done outdoor activities, film making, art, swimming, badminton, tennis ... and I liked the YMCA workers, a lot. You can enrol your DC one day a week or five. Worth looking at?

scottish schools have 7 or 8 weeks holiday this year its 8

Biscuit me all you like Cockypants. I just find it a bit sad that you don't appear to want to spend time with your child.

You asked if yabu
I think yes and feel really sorry for your dd. Too bad if that's not what you wanted to hear but I won't join in and slag off my time with my ds to make you feel better.

I dread the school holidays.
I'll tell you why.
I adore my children and I chose to have them.
But the holidays are a sharp reminder of how disabled my OH is, how different from other 9 year olds my DS2 is (SN) and how much I have been affected by the loss of my DD.

Whilst the kids are in school and nursery we have a routine, I plod along (and a bit more) but during that long holiday the effort of thinking of what to do with them, realising that OH can't come with us most if the time, dealing with the aftermath of him making the effort, my DS2 reacting badly to the change In routine, the emmense effort it often takes for me to want to arrange family days and the guilt when I can't face it, the families and kids doing 'family' things and knowing that we have someone missing (even though she would be all grown up by now),

All that stuff is HARD.
Every year I try to make it like it used to be and I hope it gets a bit better everytime but boy does it take it out of me.

I am nt the only one who feels like this. Holidays are really difficult for lots of reasons.

I envy everyone who looks forward to them (genuinely, not sarky)

Oh the sanctimonious super mummies have come out to play!

Anyway, OP, if you can't have a moan here, then where?!

8 weeks one on one with an only child can be a bit much.

I find that making plans, chucking in a few tennis or swimming sessions (or whatever is on offer locally) and being super sociable at the school gate and swapping numbers with other local parents of kids in DC class works well.

Also, structure the day a bit. I find going out in the morning 9even if just library or local pool) then pm can be at home (play and telly).

where do you live? Most places have lots on offer if you know where to look (national trust, petting farms, outdoor lido's, cheap cinema in the mornings). and projects at home (clearing out the garage together, washing the car together), so you get things done. I make my kids help with the gardening (weeding etc.)

You really do not have to entertain her too much, just make her join in with what you'd normally do. Go to the supermarket and have a coffee (hot choc) together can break up the day. You read a paper, she gets a magazine.

6 is quite a fun age, but still quite full on. my 6 yr old would drive me mad if he didn't have an older brother to play with!

(clearly my first comment was not directed to Mrs devere!)

Holiday clubs/camps for secondary school kids seem to be as rare as hens teeth, Ok so DS1 is old enough to be left alone some of the time but it would be nice to have some organised activities for him to go to. Not to mention the difficulty of finding days out that suit a 14 year old, an 11 year old and an 8 year old.

last summer i put a pedometer on my dd

she loved seeing how many steps she did each day

we have 2 dogs so are big into walking

we worked it out when we walked enough to reach Lands End and had a cream tea to celebrate

she drives me bonkers in the house we walked everyday

So used to love the holidays, but the DC are all grown up now, enjoy it they will soon be grown up and gone!!

I think the same as picklesanne-make the most of it-it goes all too soon.

I have very mixed emotions.

I aim to enjoy it and have the DC enjoy it but am aware that we have some bad ones under our belt.

Ones where the DC couldn't get along, along where there was nothing on, I was mainly on my own with them , where money was tight, or we were stuck at home with working going on in the house. Days out that I've organized where things went wrong or the DC were such bad company the whole day was ruined.

I'm hoping to avoid some of previous years pitfalls and also get the balance right between having a break and fun packed days but i expect there will be a few tetchy days in there somewhere.

This will be our first school summer break! School breaks up on 20th July, back 1st of September. Dc2 is due on 17th July, so that shoud keep us all busy (hoping its a few days overdue to make the end of term!!)!

Dd does have a week away booked with my parents and her cousins for early August, so she won't be trapped on the sofa with me all day (if dc2 turns out to be a Velcro baby like she was )

TubbyDuffs ME as in Maine?. Im in Mass and going camping in Maine next week:o

Ours got out two weeks ago (California) and go back July 23rd if I remember right. Bored silly already here. Swim lessons start tomorrow at 8am sharp. It'll be bloody freezing I also get Dd signed up for Hip Hop class every monday so that covers another day each week. Other than that we are hiding from the hot hot sun!

depends where you are wiggly, I am overseas so my suggestions probably wouldn't be helpful. I roam the web a month or so ahead and find out what there is and dd (11) does some organised stuff and relaxes inbetween that, meets a few friends tidies her room (wishful thinking the last). We have a longish summer break.

For older dc here, I have seen that the sports clubs offer summer programmes as taster sessions, there'll be most things - 3 days or a week of tennis, canuing, hockey, football, all sorts really. Good way of trying something new. The museums and universities have summer programmes to some extent. Some churches have teen camps for a week. Private companies offer dance, art, adventure camps, language courses etc. Some things are free, some cheap, others very expensive. You really need to ask around and do a web search so you know what there is. The 14 year old can get off to an outdoor pool with a friend and hang about there on for a good part of the day.

What about the YMCA mentioned further down the thread. Is that something for your 14 year old?

I always make sure we take our main holiday one week into summer (2 weeks) so that breaks it up a bit. We are going to go camping. I work from home so have to fit in work in the evenings or if I arrange for them to go to my parents (who are usually busy) in the holidays so I find that quite stressful. To be honest if I didn't have to worry about fitting work around the kids I would love the summer holidays. I like going out for whole days to the beach with a picnic and not being in a massive hurry all the time. I also arrange for their friends to come over which keeps them entertained as they are much better behaved when their friends are here!! There are some days though when it rains and we have nothing planned that can be a nightmare especially as mine fight a lot!

We are in England, state system, so a few weeks to go yet. We are away for 3/6 weeks, and trying to arrange a few play sessions with friends at the moment, before they all get booked up.

It might also be worth looking into English Heritage/ national trust or equivalent. Although it seems expensive, often the children get in free if you are a member, so for a bit over 40 quid you and she can go for loads of days out over the coming year; just take a picnic. They often do special events in the main holidays too. We're going to see lots of castles this year!

You're a SAHM and don't like summer break because there is no one to mind your children. Ugh, WTF did you have kids for then? To have someone else care for them? What a complainer. Suck it up. Don't you think the real learning happens at home? Or do you assume the schools are handling that too?!

PS We are out for 10 weeks!

I am a sahm.I chose to be a sahm because I thinks its best for my family. Doesnt mean I dont find it fucking hard work. So wind your neck in same.

I have 3 dcs and finding something to do which is 1)either free or very cheap or 2)will suit all 3 if bloody hard!!

I put alot of pressure on myself to ensure that they have enough things to keep them entertained ortherwise they bicker constantly.

I aim to have at least 4 days out a week and have already booked us into various craft/story telling sessions at library. I have also earmarked films we want to see at kids clubs and which museums we shall visit.

At the moment it is looking as if all the holiday we shall be able to afford is a day at the seaside

I am sure they will be plenty of days when I am ready to strangle the lot of them.

Sameyeam what a charming person you are. NOT.
I find it incredible that people who don't even know me or my family can make such ridiculous and incorrect judgements.
Grow up.

ZZen, I live in a very small town in Scotland with very limited public transport and definitely no pool ( although the Ds's do swim in the river on the very occassional days when its warm enough!). I am going to have to let DS1 cycle long distances to meet up with his friends and try not to worry about him being squashed.

I see, well of course in a small place there is not the same range of organised stuff available but then perhaps that is because there is also not the same need for it since as you said, the teens can cycle off, swim in a river and so on, options which city teens don't often have. Sounds quite idyllic in a way your set- up but I can imagine it is hard when they are used to having their days organised for them at school to just buzz off into the great outdoors for weeks on end and find something to do.

It would be a lot better if we weren't having another wetter than average summer (curse you climate change!).