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??

yabu. so cringe

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

It's horrible isn't it! I thought it was a mouse with the noise it was making.

The kids fancy a late night want to try and see the stars tonight so I've said they can stay up late as we don't have anywhere to go tomorrow. I shall do a sweep for frogs before it gets dark

I'm not sure why it's 'cringe' to want to watch shooting stars with DC though.

Recently went camping when other family members were on a really expensive cruise. DS 7 was curled up on my lap under a blanket in front of a bonfire whilst I moaned about another year without a proper holiday, until it was pointed out that moments like the one we had by the fire were priceless and where would I rather be?
My rambling point is, they may not be memories for your children but they will be for you.

My friend woke up at about 4am convinced that an intruder was in her room - banging and rustling. When it got lighter she saw it was a very angry frog that had probably got in when the back door was open and was trying to get out.

I don't think it's cringey either. It's so warm you could pitch a tent in the garden and they'll probably stay up easily. Give me your address and I'll come round and sweep for frogs with you

This is what it sounded like

freaky

I find that we put too much effort and hopes into "making memories" for our children and they simply don't appreciate it. Not because they are mean or spiteful, they simply have other priorities.

You're really lovely . And I loved watching the stars with my dad when I was young. So your kids didn't fancy it ( summer holidays so no harm in waking them up for an experience - well that's what I think!!) . But you've got a memory!!!

I woke up this morning, stretched and thought, "Oh crap! Not only did I forget to wake everyone up, I forgot to watch it myself!" So, you did way better than me, OP!

Blackheartsgirl your post was lovely!

Frusso all 3 of my sons remember their sister falling over and landing face first into cow poop, despite this being 12 years ago and all being under the age of 7 at the time.

We were staying with my parents last year when a meteor shower happened. Against DH's and DPs' advice I woke up then 6yo DD at midnight to watch . She'd just 'done' the solar system at school and was hugely interested in stars and planets, so I just thought, why not?

Best thing I could have done, she's mentioned it at least twice a week since. Her little brother is bitter and resentful, however. They've both asked to be woken up to watch the stars many times but we lived in London. The sky is orange, not a star to be seen. We've just moved to a rural village, I have never seen so many stars in my life... I may be waking the kids up later tonight! I've thought that every night for the past couple of weeks but been too busy unpacking boxes!

I don't think memories can be 'made', but I do think that 'ooh, the kids would love this, I don't care what time it is' can lead to some of the best moments.

It sounds like a lovely thing to do.

I also find it weird that 'let's have fun' is becoming 'let's make a memory'.

Oh god. My Dad is a keen amateur astronomer and used to haul us out of bed to see shooting stars and lunar eclipses. I just wanted to kill him. (Disclaimer: I like my sleep).
Yy to others saying the memories are often ordinary things you wouldn't think of. My first memory is being on holiday and my mum trying to make the bed while my dad was goofing around and sticking his head under the blankets to make me laugh.
I have been clearing out and found my diary of the summer holidays 1986 when my mum bravely took me and my toddler sister up to London to see prince Charles and Lady Diana ' s wedding parade. My diary reads "we went to London and went out for lunch and I had a drink and it was COKE".
I have some lovely video clips of my 2 year old son chasing pigeons in St Marks square in Venice but all he can remember about that holiday is that I shouted at him for running into the sea with his shoes on

1981 not 1986!

OP, k think it was a lovely thing to (try and) do. I remember my grandfather waking me up to look at the stars around this time of year when I was about 9 or 10. Although it was probably only about 10 pm.

My favourite childhood memories are of being allowed to stay up late to watch Dallas, and my my mum letting us have oven pizza (a new fangled thing in those days) and ice cream for dinner. We'd all snuggle on the sofa together and she would let us bring our duvets downstairs

I told her this that the other day (I'm almost 40 ) and she said she felt like a shit mum at the time for letting us stay up late and eat crap food .

DH and I have been lucky enough to travel extensively with our DC - some really amazing places, including Australia and NZ, China, Thailand, all over the USA, Canada, caribbean, Europe. I asked my DC the other day which was their favourite holiday memory and they said 'Butlins'.

You get my point...

I've just thought of another one with ds. We got chosen for a free holiday with Christians against poverty in a retreat in Shropshire for a few days in 2013. Dd was ill during the trip to Chester zoo, ds and I decided to take her back to the centre and I'll never forget the hysterical laughter of both myself and ds as he attempted to hold an asda carrier bag for his sister to be sick in frantically racing against time to stop her throwing up all over my mums pristine car and then holding the bag of sick looking extremely green himself until we could stop and find a bin. Christ there was gallons of it. We never told my mum and it still makes us laugh now. Poor dd3 that wasn't her finest hour..she was ok though after a good sleep.

I think the reason why these memories stand out so much for ds and me is because we were both struggling so much with each other and he was diagnosed with aspergers earlier that year. It was a dark time and these sorts of things reminded us both that we could still share some good times and love each other sometimes. I do remember good times with the girls but it's more like all congregating in the kitchen and sticking some tunes on and making up dance routines or having a mad water fight on the trampoline. My girls and me performing on stage together is one I'll treasure too

Humour features a lot in our family, it's how I cope lol

Gutted everyone is saying that YABU! I did the same about 2 weeks ago. We were visiting family in a rural area (so amazing night sky views) and as I was looking out the window I noticed some shooting stars, I woke up both DDs (I was very excited) and carried them outside only for them to moan and fall asleep on me again, absolutely uninterested in the shooting stars (there were loads) - I was chuffed to see them myself but absolutely gutted that we didn't get a magical movie style memory to share.

My DDs were talking animately to their cousin today about their trip to the Lake District to see their Great Grandma last month and it made my heart melt.... until I realised that they were discussing the items of clothing they were most gutted to have lost/grown out of (DD1 vomitted over their matching glittery jeans on the way up).

Love these tales of DC and their parents having different takes on the same situation! When I was 9 and DSis was 6 we went to Texas for 2 months to see DDad working out there. We did loads of interesting days our, visited NASA, short break to Mexico, some time at a US school. Got back to the uk and DM had arranged that she would come in to assembly and talk to the rest of the school with us about the trip.at the end, the head mistress asked "So girls, what was your favourite thing about America", "Breakfast at McDonalds" we replied in unison.

Sorry OP, I may have unfairly tarred you with the Facebook style "#making memories" stuff, which I think is what gets me and a lot of other posters. As I said, what you did sounds lovely, it's just that particular phrase and its vacuous celebrity associations, as other people have mentioned.

Quite apart from anything else, unless we're Drew Barrymore in Fifty First Dates , we are all making memories all the time, both good and bad.

I have heard that the remaining Perseids meteor showers have been cancelled this year.

Organisers cite dwindling spectator numbers and a lack of interest as reasons for ending the yearly astronomical event. Perseids CEO Bernie O'Shizzle stated "Frankly we're very disappointed by the lack of bums on seats this year; it costs a lot to stage this spectacle and this year we have decided to cut our losses and pull the rest of the event. Apologies to those who have booked tickets for the remaining days - refunds will be issued."

There has been much controversy surrounding competition between the two major meteor shower events - fans of rival shooting star supremos, the Leonids, state that the Perseids have 'been going downhill for years' and that the November show offers far more 'bang for your bucks'. Perseids organisers hit back with derogatory comparisons - likening the Leonids annual show to a 'village primary school fete' and more like 'a shower of shit'.

Professor Brian Cox declined to comment.

Well, we sat on the balcony for a while and I managed to see one just a minute in, but DS (11) was distracted looking at the moon.
But he then sat there for a while and saw his first two ever.

My DH woke up my 9 year old DS and they went out and watched the Perseids the other night. Both happy as pie, and the 9 year old told me all about it in the morning. They saw loads!

Otoh, our 11 year old DS was not interested, and rolled over and went back to sleep, and he didn't even try waking our 7 year old DD. Everyone is different.

It's OK that they have been cancelled, I have sent the DCs out to swing the solar lights around and the light show is far more superior and it's also not that cold yet so I can enjoy the balmy evening air without a sleeping bag to ward off hypothermia.

yanbu. Lovely idea! One of my happy memories is walking home from a night out during a meteor storm. Awesome! Some posters are a bit miserable tbh. I like the idea of retelling stories of the very happy memories you would like your children to have. Going to try it! Dds best memory of first trip abroad is being allowedp a chupachups to stop her ears popping!.

How bigs the pool op? Big enough to inflate and fill with blankets for everyone to chill out in and watch the stars?