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.

Mine too, although it has been interspersed with busy days, a weeks sailing last week, and surfing on Wednesday

Oh I'm so glad I found this post! My dd is 6. Last summer I worked ft except a couple of holiday weeks away but this summer am on maternity with now 9 month old so this is my first proper summer holiday period where I'm in charge. Thought I would be going on trips/making craft projects etc but most days we make it as far as the garden! Ds doesn't seem to mind too much but felt bad as 9 mo is still a frequent bf-er so I'm often on sofa using telly to entertain whilst I feed!

Lol KitKat28 a they do actually enjoy the walks when we're there. We take the dog and go with old friends and their dog. They've known the girls all their lives so it's very easy. It will be the only 'day out' this summer though, apart from a week's holiday. But generally, yes I just let them get on with it. I do nag DS1 about the computer though because he's literally on a screen the whole time he's awake and he hardly speaks to us at all.

My DD goes between festering in her room eating me out of house and home and becoming nocturnal then to this new phase of hanging round in parks drinking and smoking then harassing me with calls/excuses to try and stay out all night .

I wish my two would just bloody relax for a day , I'm jealous. Today is only the second day we haven't been out and they're doing my head in! Sick of hearing "I'm bored/ he did this, she did that/I'm hungry, can I have..." on and on and on. I have a headach from hell, it's only 2pm!! Tomorrow and every day after we will be going out somewhere just to break the bloody monotony.

I haven't done everything I planned to do with dd6, there was swimming I intended to do once a week, only managed once as we got a cold after the other so couldn't go.
Free weekly activities at the libraries I managed to go once.

I wanted to take her out on her bike regularly which she still doesn't really ride independently, I think I managed it once.

She's alternated between holiday club and spending time with grandparents and a sleepover at my friends,
I have taken her camping once and to a festival show and to the beach at least twice over the summer. I don't feel too guilty as I haven't done lots but have spaced these things out and sometimes she has asked not to do anything and look at her kindle for 12 hrs.

She's had a more active involved summer than I ever had,,we got let loose to do our own thing every summer.

Jay Kay is that a typo , is your 13 yr old dd really smoking and drinking ??

I'm pregnant and probably have SPD/PGP so we're not doing as much as I'd like. Currently binge watching Pokemon whilst I rest. So I don't forget appointment/ bookings I have a list and so far ds has had 4 days where we've not gone somewhere fun, possibly 5 looking at how today is going. It's hard to know what's the right balance I think.

Lilaclily

JayKay did mention "nightmare".

They sound happy to me OP! Don't forget how totally knackering and exhausting school terms are these days: they do need a good break to just chill. I've not done enough of it this summer!

Getting up at 7:15 to make DD's lunch, back to bed with tea/book/phone etc cos DS2 still asleep (teenager) slob around making DS2 brekkie ( he's not lazy he has special needs) Sorting out the garden DS2 constantly in his room though came out for half an hour today to have lunch in the garden, then quickly went back inside to plug himself into something! Going cinema tomorrow but not done much else because A- he doesn't want to or B- I can't afford it!! But ( and this is the important bit) DS2 is happy and so am I, planning trips etc just because the 'super mum's' seem to is pointless and futile and doesn't exist in most ordinary people's universe.... Happy Summer!!

Sounds just like my children and me all the time!! It is the summer holidays!!!

I took the cable of the wireless router to work with me today. This had the desired effect of getting DD 14 DS 13 out of the house :)

Just watched Sabrina the Teenage Witch all day in nightwear with my dd. It does feel naughty when the sun is shining. Very necessary though. We might go out now for a bit.

I was doing so well...
In the first week of the holidays we started every day with a swim, DD read aloud to me for 5 minutes and did some music practice each day. We usually went to a park for a good few hours and kept ourselves really active. There had been talk of learning to ride her bike without stabilisers. Good times.

Then DD broke her collarbone. I stopped counting the hours of TV/ DVDs a day - she basically wants to do that or buy horrific crap from Poundland which my house can't, erm, house.. Reading is done under massive duress where she had previously enjoyed it well enough. We did manage some painting for 20 minutes last week but that was it.

Now my dad is ill and all three of us end up in hospital a lot - with 'canIbuyamagazine?/ 'canwegotoPoundland?'' as a constant refrain from DD..

Your ds1 sounds like my ds4 who is going through a late puberty at 15, he's barely left the house and is online constantly, I've forced him to McDonald's and a few outings with me but because of the massive changes he's going through I've left him to it. I think he needs the time to adjust to the new body and height before he goes back to school. My other ds I've barely seen apart from ds1 who I have to take to work everyday and pick up, he's ruined my pj summer!!

I'm afraid I will have to leave home tomorrow. And will drag DS with me too.
Hopefully we'll have a proper outing and cinema after sorting a document that I've been procrastinating for a long time.

I'll make sure to put enough FB updates for people to think we're having an active holiday not.

i feel you x

Thanks for this thread op!
Oh and there was a recent study showing teens who played video games every day scored higher in maths and science testing (think it was in Australia) so I'm holding on to that!

We are taking both DC to an archeology thing tomorrow 🙄
Pray for me 😖😁😀

We have hardly done a thing all holidays and it has been fantastic. Dd14 hascbeen out with friends once or twice a week, mainly festering at home.

DD9 has spent most of the holidays on the pc playing Roblox.

Now we have to summon up the energy to go on holiday for two weeks.

I feel so relieved; thanks to all of you for being so honest.
We haven't done much except chill as we've been saving money so we can enjoy ourselves when we go off to our annual festival camping trip.
Nice t know we're pretty average :)

Loony, that's great!

Pretty standard stuff. If they are happy, no worries.

My ds has surprised me this year! He's 13 and has AS and is normally indoors a bit during the summer. This summer I've hardly seen him.
Have spoken to the parents of his old primary friends and they've said their boys have hardly moved.
Ds loves football so goes to a local field for hours and now the season has started again he's at the match as has a season ticket.

Dd is 5 and currently away with her dad but it's hard as having an age gap of 8 years can limit what we can do. Luckily they both love swimming, parks and trampoline places that have literally sprung up everywhere!!
My housework has been seriously neglected and I've spent many a day in pyjamas, kids have had lots of lie ins and I don't care, it's the summer holidays, they need a break from school and I'm sure will miss these days in 3 weeks when back to normality.

Fb would have you believe that some people spend every day out at theme parks and the like, as a pp said hardly anyone would admit to being in pyjamas at 3pm and having peanut butter out of the jar for lunch ( me a few times ) enjoy all