To be gutted my attempt to make memories with kids failed!!

[sparepantsandtoothbrush]

I was looking forward to waking the children at midnight to watch the shooting stars tonight. What a lovely memory it would be for them. DD (9) grunted at me, went for a wee and then decided it was too cold to sit outside (snuggled in her onesie and blanket while sipping hot chocolate). DS (11) refused to wake up even enough to acknowledge me and DH has an important meeting tomorrow so couldn't stay up late.

So, I was sat in the garden on my own with a glass of wine. Saw one shooting star....and then there was a squeal from the deflated paddling pool. A frog. Being chased by the neighbours cat. So I had to rescue the frog. The security light kept going off after as the cats kept running across my lawn in search of the damn frog which meant I couldn't see stars anyway.

AIBU to suspect all the wonderful twee family moments are all fiction??

I remember reading this article where children had been interviewed about where they went on holiday. Some had went to very expensive and exciting places, some to the local camping site. When asked what they most enjoyed about the holiday, or didn't enjoy, they all talked about chips, burgers, ice cream, and making friends.

I did this with my DC over 20 years ago, took our duvets out and lay on our backs watching loads of shooting stars.

I was pleased when one of them mentioned it a few months ago, I thought they'd forgotten it. Although DH probably made it more memorable by steaming into the garden at 2.00am screaming at me that I was insane. Turned out he'd woken up, not found me next to him, tried to switch on the light but there was a power cut and then discovered the DC were missing from their beds ... oops! (I'd done it on the spur of the moment, and didn't tell him because he's not interested in stuff like that.)

chardonay you are right but we live and learn ☺ Mine are adults now and their memories are the silly things from childhood not the grand gestures.

I remember holiday once, it was lovely day and the beach was blue, the sun was out and I thought I ought to try and remember that perfect little moment.

And then one dog went in one ditch and the other one rolled in horse shit and we had to push them in the sea to get clean and they stank up the whole place and everybody got gloriously drunk afterwards.

I obviously still remember it, very fondly, but not how I planned to.

Life is not a postcard.

I think the idea of making memories is a lovely idea OP and you sound like a great caring mum. We took our children to Disneyland and Universal Studios in Orlando a number of times when they were young. We wanted to go as well, it wan't just a trip for the children. They're all grown up now and still talk about the fantastic times we all had in Florida when they were little and still regard Disneyland as one of their ultimate dream holidays. Making memories doesn't always turn out the way you plan, but it's good to give it a go.

DD 's birthday fall slap in the middle of this shower, so we always drive somewhere dark, lie on a blanket and watch them for a while, every year.

If you tell your children what you're going to do, they'll be much more up for it. Make it into a thing, and drive to somewhere dark (when we lived in London we went to places like Box Hil) with blankets and thermos.

who always say "make memories"- - answer is the fucking |Kardashians

they justify their endless holidays by saying they are making memories

for that alone yabu

You did save the frog.

OP, you tried to do something nice and it didn't work out, so no I don't think YABU to be disappointed about that.

However, I absolutely HATE the term "making memories". For me it smacks of this increasing culture of failing to live in the present, the sense of constantly creating a record of the here and now to be looked back on, shared and scrutinised in the future.

I have countless memories from my childhood and early adulthood. Some good, some bad but none of the deliberately "made" in the contrived sense that seems to prevail in the era of social media.

Do and plan what you want to do, because you think you and your kids may enjoy it. Sometimes it will work out, sometimes it won't. Sometimes they'll have the best time on the day, but ask 10 years later and they won't remember a thing, other times they'll remember the most inconsequential details.

The most important memory anyone can give their children is a general one of a childhood where, despite ups and downs, they had a sense of being loved, secure, encouraged and accepted.

OP don't listen to the meanies. We had a family tradition for years that on Christmas Eve, DH would 'go to the shop' and dress up as Santa and wave from the bottom of the garden as the kids were going to bed. When he was about 6, DS1 twigged and started suggesting to DD that it was a bit strange that Daddy was never there when Santa came. So we persuaded DS1 to dress up as Santa. When he came back in from 'visiting next door', DD ecstatically informed DS1 that daddy had seen Santa.
When DS2 arrived a few years later., we all had a turn at being Santa. So it was sort of contrived but it's become family folklore and something they have fond memories of. However, my DB's abiding memory of our first family holiday wasn't the beach or swimming in the sea or the funfairs. The only thing he can remember is 'seeing a sheep do a wee'.

YANBU.

We lived in the West Midlands for 12 months while dh had a construction job in the area. He had a rare day off so we took our boys then ages 6 and 9 to Birmingham for the day.
Went on the tram (first time ever)took them to The Bullring, Cadbury World and Sea life Centre. Weather was beautiful and I thought we had had a very memorable day.
Cue years later and boys are now 19 and 22. We were talking about it and I asked them their favourite memory of the day. Their answer? One of them was shit on by a seagull and we had to buy him clean clothes so they got matching Star Wars t-shirts!
I was gutted.😞

We did this last year. DP pointed up to the sky to show me a shooting star, and in his excitement accidentally elbowed me in the face, knocking my glasses off. I had a black eye for days.

My cat caught a frog the other day. I never realised what a racket they make! Horrible to listen to.

Good lord, how unpleasant the reaction to your 'making memories' comment.

I think it was a lovely idea.

YANBU.

In Québec, at Christmas, they wake kids up on the 24th at midnight to open their presents and have food. Then at 2am the kids go back to bed.

Guess what kind of kid you have on Christmas Day?

MissHoolies aww that made me smile :)

When we were little, my dad used to hide under the bedroom window and ring little bells, while we sat with my mum by the window looking and listening for Father Christmas' sleigh. Magical, still gives me the fuzzies now.

My most stand-out memory of childhood was when my parents were getting their kitchen and bathroom done and we were sans toilet for a day and night. I had to piss in a bucket but then a little bit of poo accidentally came out. It was brilliant. Well better than Disney Land

OP I am sorry for being mean, it just really annoys when KK and family use that phrase

its a fucking holiday. your 27th this year

I don't think you can force memories - but I don't think you were trying to do that anyway.

Looking at the stars is a nice and memorable thing to do - but there will be other chances if your DD's are interested. One of my best memories is of my Dad waking me up in the night so I could look at a comet in the sky - I was about 7 (I am now 56) it is a nice memory because it was him sharing his interest and enthusiasm with me and there was a thrill about being awake in the middle of the night, that I can still recall.

I also have lots of happy memories of outings that went disasterously wrong (going for a walk through sand dunes and heath in Dorset, my mother falling into a pond and my sister shouting 'save her rucksack, it's got the sandwiches in it' .

My Dad looking after us when mum was away, and forcing us to get into our uniforms and go to school, because he thought we were pulling a fast one when we told him it was half term, and then walking us home sheepishly when we arrived at a closed school)

Memories are the things that make you smile when you look back together - and it's not always the successful stuff that does that

Every year we take blankets out and lie on the trampoline and watch. We don't wake them up to do it though, round about 10pm you get enough to keep them happy (once it's properly dark). Oldest is 15yo and she's still keen to do it.

However this thread is making me remember about talking about school trips with my siblings. Me and dsis would go "In J1 we went to Lancaster. Did you see the castle?" Oh yes, then we went down this really steep hill." "Yes we did that. The coach couldn't get up it..." etc.
Dbro "J1. Hmm. Not sure where I went." "That was the year I had ham sandwiches and tomatoes in my pack lunch."
Turned out he couldn't remember where he had gone/what he'd seen but the contents of his packed lunch were indelibly printed on his memory.

I took my son out in the car one evening to see the northern lights which were apparently further south than ever. This was prompted by a friend's photo of it on FB.
After an hours driving around we civilised the 'norther lights' she'd seen were actually the local football clubs flood lights that had been left on illuminating the sky!

You can't force it, it will surprise you what they remember.

I have been going through a tricky patch with my teen, but the other day, she suddenly came out with when I used to pick her up from nursery & we would have an indoor picnic lunch. This just meant, she wanted a picnic & because it we live in the UK it is frequently raining, so I would put a blanket on the living room floor & we would have our (very ordinary) lunch on that. That is it. But she remembers it as wonderful and I was a great mum because I gave her indoor picnics. As she is currently sullen and ungrateful for everything I felt a bit teary.

It just shows, it is often the wee kind everyday gesture that will repay you, not the organised memory making.

In 2012 we took the kids to the Olympics, drove to France for a couple of weeks and slept in a treehouse as part of the best ever road trip.

When my 7-year-old son went to school and was asked what he did in the summer he reported that we got a Tesco express in the village.

YANBU. We camped in the garden so we could watch them :)

We are just back from 2 weeks in Mallorca. My 7yr old DS said using the card to open the hotel doors was the best bit.