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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To not want my child to go to one of those Kids' Clubs at a holiday resort?

139 replies

LightTurquoise · 23/03/2016 20:01

I have a 7 year old, who is more than happy to be in the pool and do stuff with us, so was DS who is 4, but we went into the hotel entertainment and the kids' club was just finishing off. He wanted to join in and he couldn't, but it was possible me for me to book it. I'm just not sure I want him to think that's what a holiday is. I want him to know its spending time with family, etc.

OP posts:

Gazelda · 24/03/2016 17:00

Your DS is on holiday. He fancies giving the Kids Club a try. I don't understand the dilemma? If you don't want him to go, then don't let him. If you want him to give it a try for a couple of hours, then do so. He won't be forced to stay there for the whole day. He might enjoy it as a one-off, then get envious about the fun time you've had with his sibling and want to spend the rest of the holiday with you guys.

FWIW, we generally book resorts with a Kids Club because we have an only child and want her to have the opportunity to do activities with other kids if she wants to. If she'd rather hang around with us, then that's fine too.

I actually think this is a goady thread, used as a vehicle to judge people who use Kids Clubs.

HamaTime · 24/03/2016 17:01

I don't think it's mollycoddling. I think it's snobbery. A previous poster said she was never allowed to do anything like that because her Mum thought it 'common'. I didn't know anything like that existed because 'abroad' was common. We went on walks and ate kendal mint cake and boiled eggs. I actually like walks, kendal mint cake and boiled eggs but my childhood was a series of exercises to demonstrate absence of commonness.
We weren't allowed wham bars either, because they are common. It's not because they were a sticky, sugary mess as we were allowed Highland toffee, but because a person we didn't know with no connection to us might see us with vulgar confectionary and mentally move my mother down to the social class that she fought so hard to remove herself from. She's in her late 70s and still terrified of slipping back.

HermioneJeanGranger · 24/03/2016 17:08

Kids cry over lots of things - the wrong colour t-shirt, the wrong type of cereal, not being allowed to stick their fingers in plug sockets. I wouldn't not send my child to something just because another child was crying - kids cry all the time. It doesn't mean there's actually anything genuinely wrong!

If you don't want him to go, say no. But I don't see the harm in sending him for one day. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't have to go back. But I don't get your comment about not trusting the people "in the middle of Portugal". Why not?

mashpot · 24/03/2016 17:09

Hilarious thank you people, I enjoyed reading that.

It feels like a cliffhanger now, is DS going to break into the kids club???

FeralBeryl · 24/03/2016 17:29

I think OP does trust the Portuguese as a nation to be fair, she was merely hopefully pointing out the communication barriers for children.
Me - bloody love a good kids club!

Original poster

LightTurquoise · 24/03/2016 17:30

It's nothing about snobbery.

Most of the kids here do the club, so it is nothing about not wanting to look common. I don't think the clubs are common.

Anyway, I walked him down there, they were doing football, he told me it was too hot for football, we left. That was it.

OP posts:

Original poster

LightTurquoise · 24/03/2016 17:31

You're right, I was just pointing out the barrier. If my son needed something, how would they know!? Also, when I said about trusting, it doesn't matter if they're Portuguese or not, I don't know the people. That's what I was getting at.

OP posts:

Washediris · 24/03/2016 18:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Vintage45 · 24/03/2016 18:06

Send him for one day then?

Bambambini · 24/03/2016 18:28

There are some places though that do seem to run kids club and seperate early childrens meals etc so that the parents can have a complete break from the kids if that's what they want.

Vintage45 · 24/03/2016 18:30

If you feel that it's not right for you then don't do it. I personally would have loved to sling my son in there for a day or two....BLISS!

Chocolatteaddict1 · 24/03/2016 18:35

I used to run sports camps in the summer holidays for kids (cheaper than child care) and some kids loved it but really felt misrable. It's not for every body.

We're going to a holiday village report in menorca with a brilliant kids club and if dd (3) wants to join in ill let her but I'll stand in the shadows and watch as she is still so young.

In your case of let him go and keep bobbing in every hour or half hour. You and Dh take it in turns. He might have a fab day and make some friends to play in the pool with. If he hates it you can risk him out.

Glitteryfrog · 24/03/2016 19:33

As soon as I was old enough I was in kids clubs, PGL, guide camp etc.
I don't think we had a 'family' holiday past the age of about 7.

fourage · 24/03/2016 21:32

glittery, interesting to see how other families holiday. Do you take your own kids on holiday?

ConfuciousSayWhat · 24/03/2016 21:34

I find them a godsend personally. Dc get sick of us and frankly we need some down time too!

Longdistance · 24/03/2016 21:40

I love sending dumping my two dd's into kids clubs.

Peace and quiet for me and dh, and fun for the girls.

Loved Club Med for this as it was all day

roundtable · 24/03/2016 21:47

Sorry op but what a non issue.

Send him or don't send him but I can't believe anyone who is not in a fairy tale living by the river really has this angst.

Happy Easter hols MN

Only1scoop · 24/03/2016 21:52

Hama Time

Can relate to your post.
My holidays were also spent in the highland of Scotland etc all very self sufficient hiking and biking.

My DM used to say 'why have DC if you are going to palm them off into some ghastly children's club whilst you bake on a sunbed' type statements.

I always make sure that when I've been on holiday I tell her In great detail how dd has been going to the children's club. Even if she's been twice in a week I'll tell DM she enjoyed it everyday

I'm terrible really but I get a bit of pleasure from laying it on.

Only1scoop · 24/03/2016 21:52

'Highlands'

DancingDinosaur · 24/03/2016 22:06

I don't think I'd use one. We went to Turkey once and dc went in for a bit, the staff said to leave them there for a little while and see how they got on. I went for a walk round the complex and suddenly saw a small child rush past me towards a swimming pool . My youngest dc. He was so panicked he didn't even see me. I grabbed dc and went back to the club to check on other dc, who was fine, happily doing some colouring. But the kicker was they hadn't even noticed my youngest had escaped. Really put me off. I'd let dc go again if they wanted, but only if I stayed with them.

Bambambini · 24/03/2016 23:32

Dancing - how old was he at the time? I've been to kids clubs where you have to stay with your child until a certain age.

DancingDinosaur · 25/03/2016 01:31

He was 4 at the time bambambini. He found a back door that he could open and he just left the building. I'm sure most kids clubs are great, but you know how it is, first experience was a bad one so I don't want to do it again. It still scares me looking back at what might have happened.

curren · 25/03/2016 05:46

Bollocks it's was about the language barrier the op said

So you'd just trust the people looking after him? In the middle of Portugal?

She didn't say 'would you leave him with people who don't speak English'

She had already said it was Portugal. If the problem was the language. Why would say 'in the middle of Portugal?' If that's not the issue?

Daughterrr · 25/03/2016 08:52

I referred to the middle of Portugal to emphasise that I do not know who they are. If I'm from a certain part of England, and I was staying at the other end, I would have said 'in the middle of London' or whatever, it had nothing to do with them being Portuguese.

Daughterrr · 25/03/2016 08:53

Oh I name changed for a baby name post, but whatever

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