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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

On holiday with friend and her kids; it's not going well

542 replies

GlummyMcGlummerson · 22/08/2020 11:35

For context, my DD (8)was diagnosed a few weeks ago with a (mild) neurological condition. As part of this she has good days and bad days - good days she’s a normal 8yo with a normal routine, bad days she get dizzy spells, nausea, headaches (usually triggered by noise or bright lights) and sleeps a lot. She’ll have a 1-2 hour nap and then 14-15 hours at night. I am essentially waiting to see if she gets over it on her own before considering treatment, on advice of her doctor.

We (me, DD and 4yo DS) are on week-long UK holiday with my friend and her kids who are the same age as mine, a couple of hours from where we live. My friend’s 8yo - lets call her Emma - is a sensitive child, always has been, my friend has discussed it with me before, but I never gave it too much thought, my own DD can certainly be sensitive. However we are now on day 4 of the holiday, and living in close quarters with them I’ve realised she’s VERY over sensitive and it’s affecting everyone’s enjoyment of the holiday, and more importantly my DD’s condition. Emma is NT.

A few examples
⁃ they were colouring the other day and Emma went slightly over the lines in her picture. She burst into tears, blamed her mum because her mum was talking to me, and cried for half an hour, chucking her paper in the bin
⁃ - they put a “play” on for us the other night and Emma jumbled up for words. She got really upset, sat on the floor sobbing with her arms folded and refused to finish the play, which annoyed DD the others as they wanted to show us.
⁃ She stubbed her toe on the sofa yesterday and had a totally OTT reaction. She grabbed her foot, rolled around on the floor and screamed the most high pitched scream I’ve ever heard, relentlessly, for 20 minutes. I had to take DD out the room as it brought on a headache. If you overheard you’d think she’d have been stabbed. Her toe was fine, no break and no bruise.
⁃ We went for a picnic yesterday and when we packed up we told the kids that they all had to carry something back and we gave Emma the (lightweight) picnic blanket to carry. After a couple of minutes of walking back to the lodge, and heard a shriek. We turned around and she was about 10m away sitting on the ground crying hysterically. She said it was because the blanket was too heavy then we all left her behind. My friend had to carry for uphill back to the lodge and she cried all the way.

It’s lots of little things all the time. As to not drip feed, my friend’s DH has said before (in front of my friend) he thinks Emma’s sensitivity is exacerbated by her mum babying her. I (secretly) agree - she carries her a lot because she “gets tired legs” - such as round the supermarket, or from a restaurant to the car, or out of someone’s house. She also apologises to her a lot where I don’t think it’s necessary - she apologised for “making” her go over the lines when colouring. She also lays with her every night til she falls asleep - singing a lullaby or scratching her back, for about 1-2 hours. Her 4yo goes to sleep alone! The last 3 nights I’ve looked forward to having a bottle of wine with my friend, but she doesn’t usually come down til 10pm from putting Emma to bed. She’s attempted making her fall asleep alone before but had little success.

Anyway DD has been quite good about Emma’s tantrums considering she hasn’t been well, and every day has been a “bad day” for her. But last night when DD started to feel sleepy around 6pm, and Emma wanted her to play a game. DD said no she just wanted to watch a bit of TV, and Emma has a strop and told her mum that DD was a “bad friend”. At that point DD burst into tears and said to me, in front of Emma, that this is a rubbish holiday and Emma is ruining it 😬 well, merry hell broke loose and I took DD to bed to try and diffuse the situation.

Me and my friend had a bottle of wine and a bit of a grumble last night about it all, she said she has a daily struggle with Emma being so sensitive and her DH goes out the house for hours at a time to sit in a car park because he can’t stand the noise.

When I woke DD up today she said that she feels sick all the time and wants to go home Sad. TBH I feel the same way, I’m sick of the shrieking and whilst I feel sorry for my friend it’s making it an unenjoyable holiday.

I figure I have 4 options:
1. Go home - say DD just isn’t well enough (DS is very chilled out and likely wouldn’t mind this but I’m loathe to cut his holiday short)
2. Tell my friend how Emma’s behaviour is affecting DD and ask her to speak to her or step in before it escalates
3. Do more as a family of three separately from the other family and maybe just meet them for dinner
4. Say nothing, they’re kids and will get over it
WWYD?

OP posts:
Teddybear27 · 23/08/2020 17:44

If it is affecting you that much, go home, you are on holiday for goodness sake!....

DanceItOut · 23/08/2020 17:48

If it wasn’t for your DD being so poorly I would say that you and your friend discuss doing a few things apart and meeting back up for dinner to try to diffuse the drama between the children. But your DD needs to come first so in this case I would say cut your losses and go home

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 23/08/2020 17:54

I'd cancel the cheque while you're at it, @GlummyMcGlummerson Halloween Wink

PasstheBucket89 · 23/08/2020 17:55

I dont disagree the holiday sounds hellish, But frankly her DH sounds absolutely shit, blames it on her? sits in the car park? why doesn't he get off his bum and actually help her?? Confused

OhCaptain · 23/08/2020 18:02

Jesus H Christ!

SHE’S GONE FUCKING HOME!!!!

totallyyesno · 23/08/2020 18:02

Glad that it all worked out. Just wanted to say E sounds very much like my dd's friend at 8. She's 10 now and is great, no problems at all.

Rachel1874 · 23/08/2020 18:06

I would probably try option 3, salvage something from the holiday for your kids. But if that doesn't work I'd be going home.

Chig · 23/08/2020 18:11

I would go home. It affecting your dd and sounds hellish to me.

Chig · 23/08/2020 18:11

Glad your home

GinWithRosie · 23/08/2020 18:12

@hot penguin Emma is already 8... which means she she will be starting Year 4 next week! Colouring out of the lines and throwing screaming tantrums that last over 30 minutes is NOT the kind of behaviour typical of a Year 4 child...not by a very, very long way!! The fact that she IS displaying this behaviour many times a day, indicates that there needs to be some assessments considered...which apparently the mum has dismissed 🤷‍♀️

NotExactlyHappyToHelp · 23/08/2020 18:16

Emma if she is NT which is absolutely not for me to speculate having little real life experience sounds a very unhappy little girl. I doubt she’s playing her face for no good reason.

Her mum sounds like she’s at the end of her tether too the poor woman. She’s lucky to have you OP. A friend that is supportive but also honest is most probably a lifeline for her.

Hope you all enjoy York.

winniestone37 · 23/08/2020 18:21

It sounds horrendous and I would go home but consider this, her daughter clearly also has some kind of condition. It may be ADHD, autism or something else. So when making your judgements ask yourself how you’d feel if people said what you’re saying eg over reactions etc about your daughter.

Scottsy100 · 23/08/2020 18:22

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Bearfrills · 23/08/2020 18:22

That is an appalling way to talk about a child.

Jojofjo44 · 23/08/2020 18:25

Thank you @Iklboo

Scottsy100 · 23/08/2020 18:39

I do think everyone is far too quick to jump on with a “label” as many are these days but it is possible that constant mollycoddling and letting her have her own way for the past 8 years has in fact turned her into a monster

MollyMinniesMum · 23/08/2020 18:42

Her husband goes and sits in a car park? Bloody hell!!,

FredaFox · 23/08/2020 18:43

Can everybody please read the full bloody thread?!
It’s easy now to read an obviously long thread before commentating
If you are to lazy to rtft don’t bother commenting on threads with 500+ posts 🙈

OhCaptain · 23/08/2020 18:44

@FredaFox

Can everybody please read the full bloody thread?! It’s easy now to read an obviously long thread before commentating If you are to lazy to rtft don’t bother commenting on threads with 500+ posts 🙈
Yes! Especially because you can just read OP’s posts to see she’s gone the fuck home! 😤😤😤
roxanne119 · 23/08/2020 18:47

I made the mistake of going on holiday one time with a friend who coughed and sneezed all over me . When I caught the cold/ cough that she had she woke me in the night to tell me my breathing was too noisy. Some of us let things go some of us don’t . This is fine but not with my kids this is not a holiday for your daughter and really is it a holiday for you ?

BlogTheBlogger · 23/08/2020 18:48

@Chig

I would go home. It affecting your dd and sounds hellish to me.
ooh you little winder upper you!! Grin
CustardySergeant · 23/08/2020 18:54

NotExactlyHappyToHelp "I doubt she’s playing her face for no good reason."

What does that mean?

GinWithRosie · 23/08/2020 19:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

oakleaffy · 23/08/2020 19:08

''Hell is OPK''

{Other people's kids} Dad used to say this, after we went away with another family.
He said ''Never again''.

GinWithRosie · 23/08/2020 19:10

@MNHQ apologies please delete my previous post, as I accidentally quoted in full the post from @Scottsy100 that I was reporting as being offensive! Bad enough that we've had to read it once!

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