To wonder why people need to "Survive" school holidays?

[SaggyOldClothCatpuss]

There are always threads about this. I've been there, done the small child phase. It's hardly life shattering! We have a garden, a playground nearby and a local beach, tv and nearby friends.
I love spending time with my Dcs, but don't feel the need to occupy them for 24 hours a day! Why would you need to survive your own kids?

[SaggyOldClothCatpuss]

KellyElly I can accept IABU. I wouldn't have started a thread here if I couldn't!
There are plenty of subjects I wouldn't start threads about!

[cory]

If I had had to spend the entire summer holidays alone in town with dc and no family back-up or money, the difficulty of juggling the needs of dd (physically disabled, suffers from cold, hated being outdoors for long) and ds (basically your average puppy, needed to be taken for long runs) would have been horrendous.

Fortunately, that never happened to us. But I can well imagine how it would to others.

[SaggyOldClothCatpuss]

Oh, and I'm not a SAHM. I'm a minimum wage pt-ft worker.

[Tee2072]

Yes, America used to be about 13 weeks. I think it's closer to 8 or 10 now.

Which is good for me as we are heading there for 2 weeks in July and my nieces will be all ready to play!

[LittleChimneyDroppings]

Jeez, I fooking hate these threads where the smug parenting brigade crawl out of the workwork. Everyones circumstances are different and this is obviously going to impact on how hard or easy people find the school holidays.

[SaggyOldClothCatpuss]

OP I think you are assuming the "survive word" means surviving their kids company?? whereas I think for some people its hard logistically, either of both working, or have no ££££
Actually your probably right! I do often get the impression it's the kids they're surviving. I fully understand the working, no money, no transport problems. I've had them all.

[PostmanPatsBlackandWhiteCat]

Lack of money
Lack of confidence
Lack of family and friend's networks
Thats me to a tee.
We are going to bake this afternoon.

[diddl]

This is where teenagers come into their own.

You can have a lay in & by the time you´ve got back from walking the dog they are up & lunch is underway.

[akaemmafrost]

I love school holidays and I actually HE one of my children. It's great having them both at home AND I don't even have a garden! We just get out and about a lot.

[KobayashiMaru]

"I'm so amazing, why aren't the rest of you losers? I feel sorry for your children"

[saintlyjimjams]

Lack of money
Need to work freelance even though no childcare (see point 1)
Child with severe disabilities who needs to go out somewhere each day or becomes unmanageable but can't access a lot of places and who much prefers the routine of a school day
Two other children who don't want to do the same activities as their disabled brother

[SaggyOldClothCatpuss]

I'm not amazing at all. Im a mediocre parent at best. You all hate my thread title, I hate the others. This has actually clarified the issue for me a bit. I can see why people have issues with the holidays. I've had plenty of them myself. It's just the wording I don't like.

[RedHotRudieParts]

Oh piss off op.

I tell you I hate most about the holidays, finally getting a few hours break from my own dcs only to go out and surrounded by every fucker elses unruly offspring, I got a chuffin coffee cup lobbed at my head on Thursday ffs. I spend enough time willing myself to find the parts of parenting I actually enjoy, I do not extend that courtesy to others ! And yes, I did lob the cup back.

My dcs went back to school today, i've dusted myself off and had a shower, in an hour or so I will be sat in a pub with 8 other school mums having our tradtional ' thank fuck the holidays are over ' meal.

It may be worth pointing out that the 8 other parents have children with multiple disabilities ( same as my dcs ) so whilst it may well be fine and jolly if you have lovely outdoor spaces and a jolly attitude it becomes much more tedious after 14 years of the newborn no sleep years, living in a crappy terrace, your kids legs / brain doesn't work properly or they simply can't cope with the world in general.

Find something to do then without it becoming groundhog day..........now where did I put those party poppers ??

[SashaSashays]

Survive is just a turn of phrase. Boo hoo for you if it makes you feel sad, my DC won't give a shit.

Lots of people are 'surviving' a change to their usual routine which they and their dc often don't take to kindly, for just a week or two before you have the battle to get back to the old one. Lots of people are 'surviving' the sudden increase in expenses or decrease in their time even though they are still expected to do all the same things they did before as well as care for x number of children. It's not always about surviving the DC, its about all the other stuff.

There was a time when I enjoyed school holidays, I now hate them. My DC now range from 6-21 and then theres my 4 year old grandson, (eldest one is working so not really an issue) but the others require varying degrees of attention and money. Yes the 17 year old isn't really expecting to go out with me but he will be around, he might hear I'm going to Bluewater and deign to come. Keeping 5 individuals ranging between 4 and 40 happy is no joke, and I'm lucky because we live in London, have a car and do alright financially.

Also did I mention I'm really unwell, last week Friday was the first time I really got out of bed, this week is not much better. I won't be going into work at all, I won't be able to really work from home and I'm probably not in a fit state to be going out so yeah this week is going to be perfect!

[DowntonTrout]

Smug, smug, smuggity, smug.

Using DC and survive in the same sentence. How dreadful!

I feel I survive the holidays. I feel I only just survive the rest of the time.
Holidays are a time when we just stop. No school run, no homework, no clubs, practise, get up late, no timetable- bliss. Having only 1 DC left at home, being her main companion most of the time -wearing. I don't work so can have her friends over but as those parents work I have them from early on til evening. Don't mind but it's not a holiday for me. I can't walk far and am in pain all the time which actually just makes everything hard work.

So hoist your judgy pants as high as you like but walk a mile in my shoes and, well, you wouldn't get that far.

[cory]

I have noticed that a fair few of the posters who make survival posts on MN are trying to juggle the needs of severely disabled children against the needs of their NT siblings. Often the SN children are extremely high maintenance and the parents are exhausted.

[countrykitten]

I too have always wondered why people say they have to 'survive' being with their children. As a teacher I am with their children (in packs!) for 9 hours a day...if you can't handle being with them then in the holidays why on earth did you breed them?!

[fromparistoberlin]

If I want to use a face I bloody well will

I work FT, and yes I am jealous of people that get to spend all week with their kids. so shoot me!

they are there with no money, squabbling kids and many other issues trying to fill a day. having a shit time.

I am jealous envisaging swallows and amazing type jaunts to the beach

[freetoanyhome]

what a smug OP. One of my friends has an 11 yo with severe SN. She gets no help and school is her only break. When he's home he punches her, bites and kicks. 24 hours a day. The school holidays are an exercise in survival. I cant even offer to help having been punched in the face by him and had him attack my kids.
Perhaps the OP will offer to bake with him, take him to the beach etc

[MsBrown]

Because being with anyone - even an adorable child - for 24/7 becomes boring, repetitive and frustrating very quickly.

[spanky2]

I am a teacher and it is completely different with your pupil and your child .

[whois]

Wow smug face or what OP?

I think my mum had an ok time in the school holidays. We had a nice house, big garden and nearby friends, only me to worry about and mum could usually have most holidays off.

I think it would be very hard to live in a tiny flat, no garden or access to safe outdoors, lots of DCs with different requiems, no local friends or family, no money, illness, not able to take time off and so juggling sports camp and wrap around care etc.

[naomilpeb]

Its usually out of guilt, often made worse by smug 'luv my little man' threads and facebook tales of trips to legoland, shopping with my best friend, my daughter and instagrams of fresh baked cookies

This. Facebook is evil like this, I often find myself feeling inferior after seeing what other parents choose to post about what they've been doing on Facebook - and mine are pre-school so it's not even halfterm! Even though I know full well that Facebook is a very edited version of someone's life...