Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think your DC don’t want to be dragged around shops on Boxing Day

111 replies

AaronPurrSir · 26/12/2017 16:12

Fully prepared to be flamed for this, but having no DC myself I need to know what goes through some parents heads.

I never normally shop on Boxing Day as I don’t agree with it in principle, but I was forced to spend an hour in a town centre earlier today and I couldn’t believe the amount of parents dragging their DC around.

I saw several children who were clearly completely and utterly fed up, crying, tantrumming (and these were children too old for the tantrum stage - think 6-10yo).

They have had a week of over excitement from Christmas, too much sugar, probably more gifts thrown at them than they can handle and are then dragged around a hellishly busy town centre for hours on end because their DM/DF can’t possibly cope without getting 10% off some tat in sports direct. I don’t understand it at all. When I was small, Boxing Day was for eating leftovers, watching films and relaxing. The most we would do would be a walk to get some fresh air, or visit family members we hadn’t seen the day before.

If you want to inflict the horror that is Boxing Day sales on yourself, go for it. But don’t inflict them on your overtired, overstimulated DC.

OP posts:
Imaginosity · 26/12/2017 17:14

I don't see the big deal - even if my kids are a bit fed up. Most of my life revoloves around them - so I don't feel bad about a couple of hours shopping.

RunningOutOfCharge · 26/12/2017 17:15

Boxing Day sales start and end today.... sales of tat go on til mid jan

Best of the bargains go early

youarenotkiddingme · 26/12/2017 17:17

'Boxing day' sales are a gimmick.

Next are selling stuff from years ago, sofa shops have been telling us what their sofas will be reduced to today - for months!

In a few days when everyone has stopped rushing out for heavily discounted items using vouchers then they'll start reducing the actual winter clothing as they put the spring stuff out.

You have to be extremely savvy when dale shopping - rarely is the stuff what's just come off the shelf.

MissTeri · 26/12/2017 17:22

YABU I 'dragged' my son around the shops today. Okay I didn't really, I don't drag him anywhere as I find social services get upset when I do. We did however go for a walk to the shops together, I fancied some Soap and Glory from Boots, never tried it before and too tight to pay full price. He wasn't keen looking around Boots but he wanted to go for a walk along the prom and Boots is on the way. I didn't want to go for a walk along the prom because it was cold and blustery. We both did what each other wanted though because even though he's 7 years old he understands that any kind of relationship is about give and take.
He did also want to pop into some other shops on the way home to spend some of his Christmas money because he loves a bargain just as much as I do.

Not everyone is you OP, not child is like yours. Mine has neither been over excited for a week nor ODed on sugar. Thanks for your concern though. Oh and our local town was dead, I've NEVER seen it so quiet - so far from your 'hellishly busy' - looks like my town is not like yours either.

Laiste · 26/12/2017 17:24

Christmas is pretty much a farce these days anyway. If you're back at work the day after boxing day and will be for the rest of the week i can't see why it's such an awful chore for a child to go round a few shops with their family. Good god they're not being asked to crawl over broken glass are they?

We went to Sainsbury's for an hour this afternoon with DD (3) because i'd forgotten to stock up on tampons and we needed flowers for MIL for tomorrow. It was lovely! Big superstore with only a handful of shoppers in there (mostly just wandering up and down glassy eyed with their empty trolly, chilling out i think). DD was running up and down the loooong deserted isles laughing with DH and worked off A LOT of pent up energy from being good all day in a crowded house yesterday. We were glad we went tbh. Back sitting on our arses now at home :)

Reallytired17 · 26/12/2017 17:27

YANBU apart from the assumption that we all have other relatives we could leave children with.

ToadOfSadness · 26/12/2017 17:31

I see this every week in the supermarket. Both parents with all the children. Often wonder why they both need to be there with 4 children when one of them could be doing something else with them.

bandicoote · 26/12/2017 17:40

I was dragged around shops by my DC today - the horror of it

EmilyChambers79 · 26/12/2017 17:41

Maybe not everyone is Christian and actually goes out to shop and get bargains

What's religion got to do with sale shopping?

BalloonSlayer · 26/12/2017 17:42

THreads like this are classic Mumsnet.

OP - I saw several children who were clearly completely and utterly fed up, crying . . .

Cue 150 posts of "Well my DC BEGGED me on bended knee to take them shopping, they LOVE shopping, they had a FABULOUS time shopping and indeed have just written me a thank-you note for taking them shopping blah blah"

Well they aren't the ones the OP's talking about then, are they? Hmm

RunningOutOfCharge · 26/12/2017 17:43

Because Boxing Day is part of Christmas holidays?? And Christmas is,well, a RELIGIOUS event

RunningOutOfCharge · 26/12/2017 17:45

Maybe they were imaginary miserable children out shopping today then

It's mumsnet. Wouldn't surprise me

doctorsnewcompanion · 26/12/2017 17:53

I dragged my DC out today at the arsecrack of dawn to accompany me to give blood. We walked through the town centre as our local donation centre is down a side street off the main shopping stree. Not every child out today is being taken against their will to the sales. Yes YABU

MiserableAsSin · 26/12/2017 17:54

We are on a budget and it makes sense to have a rubbishy 2 hours out of the house to pick up some discounted essentials which we'll use daily for several months at least.

I agree. Ds will benefit from the warm, weather proof jacket that I got from John Lewis for a tenner as opposed to £22 that I could never afford . He'll be wearing it at the park till he's 3 and he's just under 2 now . My other dd , 11, loves her half price warm boots that she's needed and my 12 year old is wearing a nice pair of pjs without holes in them . It was well worth ds being a little bit grumpy for an hour or two

WunWun · 26/12/2017 17:54

I carried my 6 yr old into Tesco today while she cried 'I'm not going in!' . She stopped the second we got in there and we were in there about ten minutes. No way of drag her into town, she's bad enough in town normally without doing the day after staying awake until midnight.

PumpkinPie2016 · 26/12/2017 17:57

I wouldn't do it and we certainly never did it when I was a child.

I have a 4 year old son and today has been spent relaxing, playing with his new toys and a short walk on a local bridle path. Oh, and eating leftovers!

I wouldn't go shopping on boxing day on my own, never mind with a child in tow!

RunningOutOfCharge · 26/12/2017 18:00

Why not? What's so special about Boxing Day?

5foot5 · 26/12/2017 18:05

I wouldn't want to be dragged around the shops today and I am 55.

EmilyChambers79 · 26/12/2017 18:09

Because Boxing Day is part of Christmas holidays?? And Christmas is,well, a RELIGIOUS event

I still don't get the point you are trying to make?

Plenty of non religious people celebrate Christmas, plenty of non Christians celebrate Christmas, plenty of religious people, including Christians enjoy and have gone sales shopping today.

So your theory that only non Christians are sales shopping today is, well, a bit daft really.

stickytoffeevodka · 26/12/2017 18:11

I was working today and there were definitely a lot of miserable-looking children about.

I don't know why you'd want to drag your child around the shops when they're probably overtired from Christmas, it's wet and windy outside and they'd probably much rather be at home playing with their new toys or lazing on the sofa.

The shops were heaving, it was loud and busy - hardly an ideal way for a child to spend the day!

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 26/12/2017 18:17

And Christmas is,well, a RELIGIOUS event

For those playing MN bingo, Xmas isn't actually a Christian holiday you know....

Rosieposy4 · 26/12/2017 18:25

JonnyMcGrath, if you are on a budget then you definitely don't need some nursing tops, they were invented relatively recently to drag more money out of the unwary, and keep the rampant consumerism on track.
I fed 4 kids for between 13 months and 2 1/2 years each without one, as did everyone else, just need to accept dresses are off the agenda, you can feed in anything else.

RunningOutOfCharge · 26/12/2017 18:28

I don't know why you'd want to drag your child around the shops when they're probably overtired from Christmas,

Maybe they don't do Christmas??

stickytoffeevodka · 26/12/2017 18:37

Well the ones I spoke to today did do Christmas - the kids were all talking about their Christmas presents!

LockedOutOfMN · 26/12/2017 18:45

DM isn't well and needs to stretch her legs but can't be in the cold so we went to the local supermarket for her to walk in the warm for 20 minutes. It was absolutely dead inside and outside; the only people we saw were adults dashing in for things like bread and milk, certainly no children.

Swipe left for the next trending thread