No thought has been put into the fact that DC are on school holidays - AIBU

[FatalDistraction]

DC are off in school holidays after being stuck in for months before hand. There is very little for them to do. It's OK to shop till you drop with a mask on, but opening places for children to play and get some exercise....oh that's just too much.

I just logged on to book some cinema tickets to have something for my DC to do. There is one movie, opening at the end of August and it is a 13. There are millions of DC off school, not going on holiday, with nothing to do and they decide to put a violent, older movie on. They could have rehashed Frozen, Trolls, put on some other loved movie if there is nothing new, but no, they think we all want to see Tenet.

No one has put any thought into the fact that DC have been off for ages, are on holiday with nothing to do and are going round the bend. But shopping, that's ok. It is no wonder there are children in my town turning on others in the parks when they have nothing to do.

Shame on the lot of them.

@FatalDistraction

No, I am not entitled to anything. However, most places do not care that our DC have been stuck in for months on end. They only care about profits. Staff at our local pool have said that they are not opening the pool because they don't want to pay lifeguards and cleaners whilst the government are paying them. Usually this massive pool has swim lessons, parties and bouncy castles on all summer. So, yes total shame on them for not giving a shit about our kids.

That might be what the staff are saying but this isn’t the whole truth. The leisure industry is in crisis. Many leisure operators are on the brink of collapse unless they can secure local government funding. In order to safely operate somewhere like a swimming pool you would need significantly higher numbers of staff, modifications to changing facilities, lower numbers of swimmers... it is just not cost effective to open.

We ate still in a pandemic, places have to open under strict guidelines if they have the go ahead to open. Pretend it's the 80s and make your own fun.

Every summer I feel guilted into spending loads of money to go to overpriced theme parks, cinemas and restaurants so my DD can have a ‘good’ summer holidays and not feel like she’s missed out when her peers are doing loads of fun, expensive things too.

This year I am so happy that has been removed from us.
We’ve not paid to go anywhere this year and have only been food shopping so far. We’ve been on hikes, for picnics, bike rides, played board games, had movie nights etc. We have grown closer and become fitter and appreciated nature and what’s around us for free and of course saved money!

I love going’s to theme parks and on holidays but I am going to do these more as treats instead of going because I feel I have to.

@AnotherEmma
AnotherEmma
Also this thread has brought out a lot of twatty posts, predictably. Ignore them if you can OP.
Incorrect, it’s brought out people with common sense who have an idea how to entertain their children. The only twatty poster is the OP!

@funkyblackbird

That's one way to word it, but I regard it as needing childcare while I work. I have always had that, I don't have it this year. I understand why, but it doesn't make things easier to manage.

Cinemas don't provide child care, a film lasts for what, 90 minutes? What else do you use for childcare?

I didn't mean to imply I would use the cinema as childcare, though it has in the past helped on the odd day.

I use sports camps mostly. As I said upthread, some are open, lots aren't. A residential trip has been postponed.

@GinWithRosie

Blimey...I really wonder how on Earth I coped as a child of the 60s, I really do 😂

(Clue: I think I turned out ok, with just a bog standard park, a shared bike and a home made 'fishing net' made out of a stick and my mums old tights! Never caught any fish but we had a lot of fun trying 😂😂)

Me too.To coin a phrase we made our own entertainment. We built camps and tents withh old sheets and string, we devised circuses, we repurposed out dolls houses , we spent hours with tennis balls up against a wall, throwing and catching, using manky old tennis racquets, we went for unaccompanied walks, or rather rides on our imaginary horses. We rode bikes around the neighbourhood, we tried to persuade the girl next door to let us play in her garden ( success! "My mum says you can come round to play - but only one of you at a time") we played three day long games of monopoly that always ended in tears.

We were by and large left to our own devices, going out and about with parents was something you generally did when you were "on holiday" ie staying somewhere away from home , whether this was a bed and breakfast, posh hotel, holiday home or caravan . If you were just on holiday because there was no school then you were on your own as far as entertainment was concerned.

No one has put any thought into the fact that DC have been off for ages, are on holiday with nothing to do and are going round the bend.

You would have thought at least their parents would have put some thought into it

There is lots for children to do outdoors in summer months. Learning to entertain themselves outdoors and trying new things will be good for them.

Now winter, that's when it is going to be difficult!

There’s no cinemas, soft play, swimming pools open where I live. Funny though, my seven year old has played outside with friends, watched tv, we’ve been to play parks and the beach, went on a boat trip, been to a safari park. It’s been fine. And probably cheaper to entertain her this summer. It’s not the big deal that you think it is, to be honest. Just do other things with your kids. Disney plus has answered all my viewing needs.

@Sunrise234
We’ve been on hikes, for picnics, bike rides, played board games, had movie nights etc. We have grown closer and become fitter and appreciated nature and what’s around us for free and of course saved money!
That sounds an amazing Summer and one I’m sure your child/children will remember for a long time. My sons are 17 and 21 and if I ask them what they remember about Summer, it’s not the expensive holidays/theme parks etc, it’s the picnics in the garden, paddling in rivers, eating fish and chips in the car etc, etc. They remember that stuff because of the little stories or funny moments that go with them, those are what memories are about.

You can buy or hire a DVD or Netflix cheaper than taking DC to the cinema, and no covid risk whatever.

Kids don't need to go to a pay-to-play centre for "activity" ; whatever happened to walking, running, cycling, roller skating, ball games, crafts, hobbies. On rainy days our grandkids will spend hours playing Scrabble , Brainmaster, Genius Square, fun games which develop vocabulary or logic or spatial ability.

If all else fails,  offer a bored child  some helpful and constructive  domestic task.

Tbh I didn't do loads of this stuff as a kid in the 90s and didn't have the Internet, loads of TV and films or games consoles. So I think kids will be fine for a bit. But I do get that kids lives are set up differently now. With most children being entertained which definitely has some positives. I was pretty much left to my own devises as a kid! I'm not sure who yiu expect to be doing something? If it's already on the edge of safe to open shops do yiu expect the gov to open up things like bowling, soft play, and activity centres?

If your children are young, they do usually enjoying just playing in the park or garden with their parents. Just play with a ball, Chuck a frisbee, blow bubbles, have a water fight. They’ll love it.
Find an outdoors place that you’ve never been to and head off there with some water and snacks and explore.
Maybe find somewhere where there’s a chance of seeing wildlife like deer or rabbits.
Young children love nature and wildlife.

Out a bit of effort in and there's plenty to do!
As pp have said picnics, Park, paddling in a local stream, walk in the woods, camp in the garden, bike rides, board games, lego challenges, paddling pool.... Just put a bit of effort in, they're your kids to entertain!

We have two cinemas in my town.
One big chain which is showing lots of old films and one small chain which is going to show Tenet when it reopens.

The thing is that this is what, 90 minutes of entertainment. That’s not going to solve the whole summer is it.

The Cinema where I grew up lost it’s roof in The Great Storm and didn’t open again for over a year. I don’t remember my mum ever ‘entertaining’ me. We went on a trip to the natural history museum and that was it.
Once a year we had a youth club trip into the nearest city where we went to a skating rink and a lido. That was it.

@SleepingStandingUp

And we spent whole summers in the 90s with no money to do anything but hang without turning into feral little shots beating each other up

Same here in the 70s. I only have a single, solitary recollection of a cinema visit in my childhood/teens and that was to see Grease.

We didn't do expensive hobbies that cost money, there was no soft play, bouncy castles, children's museums, no indoor ski slopes or trampoline parks. nothing.

We played rounders on the "rec" and built tents in the garden, put on crap plays for our mums or roamed the streets with friends as teenagers, then lay on the grass with a bottle of pop for hours on end.

Only happy memories.

I think being in a nice, cool, aircon cinema is quite an attractive idea on a day as hot as this!

Ours has planned for the holidays

Of the 13 films which have daytime screenings; 3 are U, 3 are PG, 5 are 12A and 2 are 15. So a reasonable amount of choice, I think

@LadyPenelope68 yes I absolutely agree! It’s great to hear your sons remember and appreciate all the free experiences you had! When I think back to my childhood it was all those things you mentioned that I remember the most.

@FatalDistraction, your local pool isn't remaining closed/running at reduced capacity because of Furlough . All pools have to adhere to Government and Swim England (or wherever you are) covid guidance! Numbers are drastically limited because of this and therefore viability. I assume the cinema is similar, there is less for older children to do than younger.

Shame on who? This is no ones fault.

@viques oh god I bloody loved ‘two ball’ against the wall! Must have spent hours and hours playing that...rows of kids chanting two ball rhymes that all had different ‘tricks’ and moves with the balls (you never wanted to be the first to drop a ball, or crash yours with the person next to you!). My cousin was brilliant at this...she could do ‘three ball’ 😱. I never mastered that 😂

I taught my girls and their friends, just as my mum taught me...but I’ve not seen anyone play these games for years now. Such a shame 😢

Also french skipping with the big circular rope wrapped around two peoples ankles? Again...a lost game now, although we do encourage children to use skipping ropes at school, thankfully, it’s mainly the girls who use these. Hardly any boys will try it sadly.

Once upon a time, in a far off galaxy, the people who were supposed to give a shit about what their children did during school school holidays were called parents. Activity with children isn't about how many things you can find to spend money on, or how many other people organise something for you. Try it. Then your children might grow up a little less entitled than you.

You ok hun?

We are at the start of a massive pandemic OP. Parents who cannot entertain their own children are not a priority to pander to right now

Our children have been in quarantine but they can meet friends outdoors which is fun for most kids. I live in an area with lots of green spaces and primary aged kids seem to happily run around playing with their siblings and friends as long as there's a steady supply of cold drinks available,

New films have gone straight to streaming platforms or have been delayed until later this year because of Covid.

As a matter of interest I've looked up my local chain cinemas (Cineworld and Odeon) and they are showing several movies daily including kids ones. If your local one is an independent only showing one movie, can you travel further afield? A lot of the kids ones are once a day but if you book ahead ?

It's unfair of you to blame businesses for prioritising profit. Profit pays for wages and a cinema making losses will end up in redundancies and the business closing.

[quote GinWithRosie]@viques oh god I bloody loved ‘two ball’ against the wall! Must have spent hours and hours playing that...rows of kids chanting two ball rhymes that all had different ‘tricks’ and moves with the balls (you never wanted to be the first to drop a ball, or crash yours with the person next to you!). My cousin was brilliant at this...she could do ‘three ball’ 😱. I never mastered that 😂

I taught my girls and their friends, just as my mum taught me...but I’ve not seen anyone play these games for years now. Such a shame 😢

Also french skipping with the big circular rope wrapped around two peoples ankles? Again...a lost game now, although we do encourage children to use skipping ropes at school, thankfully, it’s mainly the girls who use these. Hardly any boys will try it sadly.[/quote]
Oh yes. One clap. Two claps. clap behind your back. Turn around. Touch the ground. Under leg throw

Did you play jacks too? Whatever happened to jacks? I wonder if you can still get them. Mine were in a little drawstring bag. Well everyone's were I suppose., but my bag had my name on it......

My kids would be in heaven if they could go out the back door and play with their friends all day but as it stands they’d be the only ones out there, and it’s an urban environment so they aren’t going to off running through fields. You can’t compare this summer to summers of a 80s childhood when the whole neighbourhood would be playing out.

The onus now is on parents to entertain their children whether we like it or not. Mine are primary age and it’s been fine. Walks, play dates at local park, trips to beach or National Trust etc. It’s all got to be organised by me though.