Terrible holiday parenting.

[LewisAndClark]

It can't be just me?

Ds1 (nearly 14) has barely left the house. He's barely left his room, actually. He's permanently plugged in to his pc. I've coaxed him out a few times to come out to lunch with us and he's been on one dog walk. Other than meals and the occasional family film we've barely seen him.

DD (12) has only slept here a handful of times, she's either been sleeping over with her friends or at Grandma's. Again, we see her for meals and not much else, although she's come on a few dog walks.

Ds2 (nearly 5) has spent the majority of his time in pyjamas watching tv. He's been out every day with me and the dog and we've been to the park a couple of times, but mainly he's been either playing in his room or watching YouTube.

I've just realised that between them they've gone through a large tub of Nesquick in a week, and god knows how many biscuits. They are all constant grazers, although tbf ds1 has a fruit fetish so we've gone through oodles of grapes and plums too.

Am I an utter failure this summer? Please tell me there are others who are as slack as me? It's not the idyllic, adventure filled holidays I imagined for them, but they just don't want to DO much.

Thank you for the post. I've just been crying at the frustration of kids still in PJ's and lazing around looking at screens/tv while I try and get on top of the housework. Been beating myself up all morning. I could do with some adult conversation though I think. Thanks again for posting you have all just lifted a weight off me.

FitFatty where in the UAE are you? We were there in April (plus I used to live there) and there were loads of fun, cheap and satisfactorily air-conditioned museums/attractions/fun places for kids in and around Sharjah if you're interested. It's a trek if you're nearer to Jebel Ali but not too long in the car if you take the Emirates Road. My DC are similar ages to yours so might like the same things!

op my DC have mostly been in holiday club/nursery but I know a lot of SAHMs and they have all reported the same activity patterns as yours summer doesn't have to be incessantly active.

Well
This thread has made me feel MUCH better!
😀

There's a lot of joy to be had at the thought I'm not the only one! I'm glad I posted.

LaContessa I'm in Abu Dhabi, and I work full time so it would have to be something the nanny could take them too. I've looked at holiday camps and things, but damn they're expensive and we're a little strapped this summer.

I feel like the worlds worse Mum when everyone else is talking about the fun activities and summer camps they've got their kids in!

My DS is 14 too and has spent most of the time in his room playing games, eating snacks or on his PC. He has had friends over quite a bit, but then it's just another person in his room playing games and eating snacks.

Sounds like bliss to me! DP and I got married on the 5th so we've been taking advantage of the rare family time with the DC (5&7). We are both back to work by Friday though. Far too much TV being watched and snacks gobbled here!! Enjoy your summers everyone!

It has been too bloody hot around here too. Over 30s. We've only gone out at night, really.

I've managed to sort out some paperwork and some old furniture. Yay.

On a positive note, DS has a birthday party today.
The mother seemed very pleased that someone was around this time of the year.

We were away camping last week. We got home on Saturday and I shoved DD2 who looked utterly feral into a shower and clean pjs. It's now Monday and she is still in the same pjs and hasn't left the house except to come out with us to a carvery last night as I couldn't be arsed to cook I still haven't been food shopping.

Teen is at her mates house. I've barely seen her the entire holidays.

I found my people! I've just listened to a bit of Women's Hour where they'd all banned screens for most of the day and their children were happily frolicking in the garden.

Mine just sulks around the house for hours on end or does something destructive with no screens. I make him come out on a dog walk but he does it grudgingly and only so that his tablet has time to recharge.

Yesterday, he ate half a tub of mini chocolate chip muffins before I'd noticed

I've only got DS2 at home. He does 3 things most days: piss around on his computer, watch DVDs in the afternoons, go out into the garden to annoy the dog. If I get him up early enough he'll take the dog for a longish walk, but mostly it's the dog getting me up before 7:30, which clearly isn't compatible with the 13-year-old summer holiday mindset.

Oh, and YY to the Nesquik. Choc-ices. Ice cream. 5 tonnes of crap per day, plus hefty meals.

This thread is lovely!
We're in week 8 of the summer holidays. I'm struggling to muster the energy for playing and days out. It's a really lovely day here and was trying to think of all things we could do to make the most of it , but I really couldn't be bothered. I'm fed up of the beach and playgrounds. They fight like crazy in the garden. So I'm with you all, just leave them do what they want today.

Maybe stop buying biscuits (or hide them)?

Week 4 of hols here. DD (9) is in bed, in jim jams, watching The Railway Children. I shall prise her out of bed when it's finished and make eggy bread with ketchup for lunch. I've done two loads of washing and tidied through but am now on the sofa with coffee and a twix. We'll do a supermarket shop this afternoon and that's the lot. Will slob on the sofa watching the Limpics probably (I'm even just getting a ready cooked chicken for tea with pitta bread and salad). I'm on AL this week so should make an effort but cba and tbh she likes slobbing around for a few days.

In my defence, she rarely stays in bed this late (its normally about 9am when she finishes a book or gets fed up of her current iPad game and she'll wander into the kitchen for cereal).

She's up at 6.45 on school days so a few lie ins won't hurt I guess.

Off to Granny's next week to stayover with older cousins so they'll entertain her.

I have a nearly 14yr old DS as well.

He likes to spend too much time (imo) on his Xbox etc too, but it's a bit of a slippery slope, because inactivity really does breed inactivity, to the point where he'll end up doing very little else.

So he makes sure that at least a few days per week, he gets out with his mates to the park/into town/to the cinema etc.

Does he have a bike? Do his mates play out in the street/at the park? Is there anything you need in town that he can go and get for you?

It sounds like he just needs to break the cycle really and get out with his mates more.

The more he goes out, the more he will probably want to IYSWIM?

Thank you for this thread. Makes me feel less of a crap mum. My DD 8 will spend all day watching Stampy Longnose videos. She is obsessed. I had to drag her to the park yesterday. Her younger sister wants to go out but I swear she would live in the virtual world if I let her.

Same here and the Olympics are not helping .

FitFatty, ah, that's a shame - I got all excited thinking I could purvey useful Sharjah tips I assume you don't actually hate your Nanny so sending her to Sharjah for the day is not really an option!

I wouldn't worry about it - I'm sure your DC are actually perfectly happy with their summer as is. As with so many things in life, we beat ourselves up for no good reason.

Ah Sharjah's not soooo bad! They've got an aquarium....

I've been trying to think back to when I was ds1s age (13) and actually I seem to remember lots of tv and lots of lying on my bed reading books :)
Odd game of tennis here and there but that's it!
Ds1 is does have football training each Monday night
They also do stuff at pils like badminton and walks twice a week
But....yeah.
I'm just letting them get on with it :)

From the kids point of view - chocolate milk, time playing computers, the odd walk, bbq or meal out sounds perfect and relaxing which is what they need, I would count that as a success lol. remember that facebook is the edited highlights, mine spend a large part of the holidays looking at screens, lazing in pjs all morning etc, but I wouldn't be taking photos of that!

Oh I can't wait till mine are lazy teens!

The aquarium was the first thing I thought of when I saw your post! And the classic car museum on the airport road, and the kids funhouse-type place out there too.....

Sigh.

How do you get a tub of Nesquik to last a week, mine go through it in a couple of days! I'm impressed.

I see dd(15) when she comes down from her room to grab food from the kitchen and that's about it.

Last week we shared a tray of doughnuts for lunch. Domestic goddess me.