Saturday Night Takeaway envy

[Mydoghasbettereyebrowsthanme]

I know this is not life or death clearly - but I am interested in what people think ! Every week we sit down as a family to enjoy SNT - the DC love this , it makes us laugh and is great entertainment obvs. But every week I feel a very deep dark sadness when they give prizes away . It's ITV so of course the prizes are truly amazing and the holidays to Florida especially - universal studios or Disney - are dream holidays. I grew up quite poor , and unfortunately am now not particularly well off and so I never went as a child, and it is looking very likely that we will never be able to do this for our children. I see the lovely joyful faces of the competition winners and it makes me cry with joy for them but I feel so so gutted that my beautiful children won't ever go on this sort of holiday . They would never expect it at all- they understand it's impossible.
Please don't get me wrong - i am so so grateful for everything we have, we are not going hungry and we have a roof over our heads and our health of course ! But I am so so sad and envious of people that have done this kind of holiday we can literally only dream of - I feel sad that this is probably the most obvious lesson for the children about the inequality of life .
So, my question is , AIBU for being envious and sad at never being able to do this for my children ?
Yes - get your stuff together it's not life and death - life is unfair ! Count your blessings!
No - but you have to make your peace with it or it will make you bitter.

We could never afford to go abroad growing up. I never resented my parents for that though, it's just one of those things. I'm on a reasonable income now and make sure I take my mum away with us now when DD and I go.

The first time i went abroad was 18 with cadets, I went abroad with my parents the following year to Tenerife and then I took my mum to Paris for mother's day. As soon as I got my first decent wage slip after having DD I booked Disney land Paris, I took my mum and she and I found it magical, we went at Feb half term dressed for the cold weather and had a brilliant time, Dd on the otherhand was 6 and had a virus and didn't enjoy it as much as we did, so we're hoping to go back.

Disney world is unaffordable atm or at least there are other more practical things to spend that sort of money on, but whose to say in the future when DD is earning her own money she might like a holiday with me and we can do a trip and relieve her childhood memories as my mum and I did.

Thank you for sharing those lovely memories - interesting to me too - I never resented my parents , I inherently understood that it was unattainable for us as a family and would never mention it as I was always aware money was tight. You are both right - family hols are what you make them . I am also going to research into efteling also - we actually live near to Dover so perhaps we could nip over at a fraction of the cost of Disney ! Good suggestion thank you I am feeling less sad and more motivated now !

Have a look at landal parks too, they look great and v reasonable. They also have good last minute offers so if you're flexible you can get a good deal. There's a wildlife park nearby too that looks great.

It's all fake bullshit marketing (Disney), it's expensive there are queues, children having tantrums and sugar crashes and wasps (school trip).... We could afford to take DS we're not going to.

How do the tickets work because there seemed to be a lot of sob stories and raising money for charities but my kids seem to think we just need to put a poster in the window? Which I’ve not done because I’d rather die than be on Saturday night tv.

Watching with my kids the other night I did feel quite bad for them to be seeing all these other people winning tickets to Florida.

Josh that's your experience but not mine. I haven't taken the kids to Disneyworld yet but I've been 3 times.

It was fantastic

I suspect there are many who'd envy your happy family.

I didn't have the opportunity to have a holiday abroad till I was 16, before that a couple of caravan holidays was all. It was fine, I was happy enough spending summers with friends.

Hi, check virgin Facebook and disneyworls Facebook as they are doing separate competitions. Also, check out the competition section on mse and lopex and search for keywords like Orlando, Disney, holiday to find competitions with those prizes. Even just search google “win holiday Orlando” and do it in a date range so recent ones come up.

It’s not a guarantee to win anything but the more you enter, the better your chances. I’ve done this for a few years every few days and have won a holiday to Spain last year and one to Orlando next month. It really does feel like it’s time consuming but sometimes it pays off.

Good luck OP !

We were fortunate enough to take children to a Florida several times But without minimising you’re dreams my daughter wrote in Primary school, The favourite part of my summer holiday was going to see my Nan and dressing up
( for a local fete) no mention at all of our Florida holiday and we had just been that summer holiday too, children often see things very differently! Good luck with all the good advice on here.

Yabu to sit and watch the show and be envious of the prizes .
That's life if you really want it save up and book it .
ITV haven't paid for all these holidays they've done a deal it's advertising so all these other people like you want to go and don't win a place will book in the near future.

If it helps a tiny bit, I was taken on some amazing holidays as a child, including to Orlando, where we did all of the parks. Yet my childhood ambition was to go on a Haven break (never did) and my best childhood holiday was when we went camping to Shell Island

We’ve kept it far more low key with DD, we did DLP for a few days last year, but she far more enjoyed our cheapy Haven weekend

I feel similar about living in a gorgeous house. I’m 40 and realise now that it’s never going to happen for me.

I made my choices, and I’m happy with them, but it’s weird to reach middle age and realise that a lot of paths are closing off to me.

My kids remember all the camping holidays, especially the ones that went wrong! We did eventually go to Florida but only because my dad died and I inherited some money - so really, they'd have rather kept grandpa.

It is hard though. But a happy, snuggly family life full of love is worth far more than any holiday.

Bugbhar- off topic slightly but that is that feeling EXACTLY. It's not life or death but it's reaching that point in life where actually doors close . Weird and slightly sad feeling

Absolutely. It’s a bereavement I guess.

OP I was you in 2016. I had a happy but modest life with DH and kids, no chance of a holiday let alone abroad. I was suddenly (and happily) made redundant from my long term stressful job and got a good pay out and a new job. We were able to go to Florida for a week and spent the entire time not believing we were really there as it was a total dream come true. I wouldn't have thought it was ever possible but it happened. Things change, circumstances change, it could be possible you just don't know it!

We never had dream holidays when I was a child either. A week with rellys in Cardiff In September, fantastic memories of that and aa week in May in some ( usually ) awful guest house in a uk resort.
It was only when I met 1st husband we went abroad and he became a businessman and we took our three children to Europe and to Florida when we had a house there.
But I didn’t always have a happy life with him.

If you’re happy and content believe me that is so much better

I felt exactly the same watching the show this week OP. It's not about Disneyland specifically but just knowing that I can't offer anything like that to my kids. I've always dreamt of visiting America and it hurts a bit that all my friend have been, several times each. I am not in a position to save for a holiday, but this is the life I've made so I've only myself to blame.