Not to want the summer holidays to end?

[Holibobz]

There are 3 weeks left until my two go back to school. I’d just rather they didn’t. I hate the crazy routine of term times, rushing on the school run, constant pressure to get to after school activities, plus homework to complete. Even having to see all the other parents again makes me feel grumpy. My dc love school and are doing well, I just enjoy the relaxed holiday times.

I don’t think being a sahm means you will love it, I’m a sahm and I find it exhausting being with them all day every day, but like I said I’m a lone parent so I spend the whole 6 weeks with them with no break. This thread is definitely making me feel guilty for not loving it though. I don’t mind the half term when it’s 1-2 weeks but I just find 6 weeks way too long and draining. School is literally the only break I get.

@Loudlady34
Ha! I'm exactly the same. I'm a sahm..both kids are school age. School holidays are far more exhausting that term time for me. I get six hours a day to myself in term time...
And yes, the weather is awful which makes it so much harder and much more expensive as you cant just sit in the park all day.
My dc love school and my eldest definitely needs the routine and structure.
Oh and my house is falling to bits...how are you meant to keep on top of housework when they're destroying it around you?!

@PumpkinP
Don't feel guilty. It's really intense. I'm not a single parent but my oh works full time and doesn't get home until 7.30pm. It's just me and the dc every day. They bicker and get bored. Everyone's lives are different. I'd probably enjoy the holidays more if I had a huge garden, lots of nearby family and friends and more money.
School is my only child free time.

I love it too now they’re older. It felt impossible at times when they were younger but now they actually enjoy the days out I plan and it’s great! I can also engage them in crafts and baking without someone having a tantrum now which is brilliant.

Another one of the minority who isn't enjoying it!
House is like shit creek, am skint, don't sleep due to insomnia so want to sleep at the wrong times and my dc are 8 and 16 and don't really get on.

We had our holiday abroad just before they broke up ( ds finished early June as had GCSE's ) and he has ASD and needs routine, as do I so it's felt ridiculously long for him and he had another holiday abroad with his dad.

I thrive on routine. We're still in our pj's, it's pissing down with rain and the kids are not long up. We will start the 2 week wind down next week. Dd goes into year 4 and ds starts at a new 6th form college and is waiting on his results so very anxious.

I'm amazed I don't drink

Only those who can afford to be SAHMs get this kind of wistfulness.

Those who WOH are running an admin nightmare of day camps, unfamiliar temporary childcare etc, and will be glad to get back to the usual termtime arrangements. The DC might think differently though - some day camps are just awesome in what they offer!

Only those who can afford to be SAHMs get this kind of wistfulness

I'm a sahm. We're not rich. I have a dc with sn and endless appointments and no family to help with childcare, hence why I don't work.

I don't want the holidays to end either but that's because my kids are grown up and I work in a school

Ha! I used to love it when strangers would say to us 'Bet you can't wait for them to go back to school!' if the children were being a nuisance, we would say 'Oh no, we love the school holidays!', but we didn't say that we were both teachers. Happy days.

I agree OP - we’ve had the most lovely summer. Mine are 16, 14 and 11. Often they have something organised with their friends, but otherwise, they get up late. They’re at an age now where they’re really appreciating living in London. We go for brunch or walk down the river and we’ve been exploring a new neighbourhood everyday - from the backstreets if Knightsbridge, to Brick Lane. They’re at such a great age now and I’m aware the eldest won’t be home forever, so making the most of my lovely son while I can and delighted he’ll still be seen out and about with his mum!

Now we’re in Greece but heat the weather has turned in the UK?

Back for GCSE results next week though!

Mind you I am kind of looking forward to a crisp Autumn morning when I can put the fire on and it will just be me and the four cats. Quality time!

I cant believe this thread is turning into a stay at home v working parents who has it harder.

I have 4 and they are teenagers now and never seem to want to do anything. I miss the days of parks, zoos, paint etc etc. Now its moods, make up, clothes and arguing. Luckily they are in the cadets and off this weekend for 10 days. I will miss them when they are back at school but also enjoy it as well.

Not all parents that choose to stay at home are rich so I find that comment a bit offending. We decided when we had kids I would stay at home as we already had my step son and child care was hard work. We are not rich and have had many years very poor but we made this choice to have a parent at home.

I felt the same as OP when I had three weeks left to go. Now it's day 1 of the new term (Scotland) and we've done 6.5 weeks off we are all ready for routine again. DC started asking every morning what was going to be happening and longing for the routine about a week before the end. I am ready to give more attention to work again after treading water doing the bare minimum for six weeks.

Thanks formerbabe will try to not let it bother me, I did use to like it more when they were little but now they are older they never want to go anywhere but aren’t old enough to be left alone yet. So it means dragging all 4 wherever I go and they moan and cry and play up because they want to stay in. The weather hasn’t been great either which doesn’t help.

It feels like most people commenting here are from England and Wales (a couple of Scottish posters early on). This means ‘3 weeks left’ means you’ve probably only had 2 and a bit (unless you have DC at independents). So - you are either fed up of the hols less than half way in or spoiling your enjoyment by dreading the end of something you have had less than half of. Neither makes much sense.

I never want the holidays to end, but both DH and me work in schools, Term Time only. It is week after week of chilled together time but there is always someone to give the other a break if they need it.

I can imagine if it was either intense looking after the children no time to breathe or a whirlwind of finding child care getting to child care as well as fitting in all the uniform shopping and haircuts etc needed for September I may think very differently.

For avoidance of doubt, I wasn't meaning to ascribe either SAH or WOH as having it 'harder'. My intention was to point out that it is a totally different experience. And that WOH issues are just as relevant when answering the question in the thread title as those of SAHPs.

It's interesting to have views of those lucky enough to have term-time hours on whether they want the summer holidays to end.

No, yanbu I feel exactly the same. ☹️☹️

It feels like most people commenting here are from England and Wales (a couple of Scottish posters early on). This means ‘3 weeks left’ means you’ve probably only had 2 and a bit (unless you have DC at independents). So - you are either fed up of the hols less than half way in or spoiling your enjoyment by dreading the end of something you have had less than half of. Neither makes much sense.

We're in England, both kids at state schools, both had almost 4 weeks off already....3 to go. I always start dreading then going back once we get to mid August.

My daughter went back today and I HATE it. Dd loves school and thrives there, but for my own selfish reasons I'd love to spend every day with her ☹️

YANBU

I didn't love the first two weeks. This was nothing to do with DC though (they are teens) and everything to do with work, which was super stressful. I WFH and am supposed to do reduced hours in the holidays but this didn't really happen because EVERYONE else was on leave and muggins ended up doing everything. I was hanging out for my own holiday, ( had a very tough year ) so to have this stress leading up to my break was utter shit. It's made me not want to go back to work

Teens are fab, in the first few weeks they arranged to see friends a lot - DS tends to meet his using public transport so I'm not involved at all, and DD either arranges to see hers when I can give her a lift or gets a lift from another parent. They are relishing the lie ins, lack of homework and music practice and general lazing around!

We are lucky we have two weeks abroad to break it up. Six weeks at home in shit weather with pre secondary kids, no money and working parents is crap.

Mine go back tomorrow. (Scotland)

Mine goes back next week (Scotland)

School holidays just make my life harder. I work full time, so holiday clubs which have shorter hours than normal school times with wraparound care, just means I'm rushing all the time, constantly late and apologetic to everyone - not just work and colleagues but my kids as well.

I agree. Everything stops in the holidays and not having holidays to take to be off is a real pain in the butt.

DD also loves school. She hates being off for so long. We can’t wait until she is back next week.

I love the school holidays, but I feel for others like myself who are caring full time for a child with additional needs.
We all need a little break to keep our batteries fully charged, and we don't all get that.

I can't imagine the luxury of staying at home all year round. For summer I really enjoy the week I get off with them but the other 5.5 weeks are really hard work and juggling childcare and extortionate club fees takes the shine off...

I'm looking forward to September and can't wait for my dc to go back to school even though it means I'm back working (I'm a supply teacher though so I get the first few weeks "off"). My dc are lovely but I find the holidays hard work. I hate being on duty all the time, making the decisions all day long, acting like a referee with all the bickering, having to plan/prepare/cook/clean up after 3+ meals every single day and generally not getting any time to myself. During the holidays I feel lonely, isolated and bored.

I agree. I like how relaxed the holidays are. I feel under pressure all the time during term time. I'm constantly nagging them - hurry up and eat breakfast, hurry up and get dressed, hurry up and do your homework etc. It's nice that now I can spend time with them without constantly trying to rush them and make them do things.