Do mums relax on holiday?

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I don’t. My kids are two & seven, & I can honestly say I spend the first 3 days of a holiday stressed out my head, sleep deprived, eternally anxious because I can’t find anything, the toddler has learnt how to escape from his bed & won’t settle, both kids are manic because they’re overstimulated - the routine’s gone out the window, the fucking weather is either too hot, too rainy to do what we’d planned or like last night, thunderstorms FFS.

I seem to worry so much about everything, I can’t relax at all. Everyone else seems like they’re enjoying themselves!!! I dread holidays TBH, I’m always quite relieved to get back home, where I for one, feel more relaxed.

What about others?

Yes I did. ex was a lazy shit at home and left me to organise everything including packing the cases. But when we was there he put a shift in with them and I'd relax .

Only time he did though tbh!

Nope

Same shit
Different postcode
Even when I have been lucky enough to go to hotels although I am not making the food or clearing it up, keeping kids entertained while we wait for the food, making sure they were happy and well behaved in a hotel environment also stressful

The most relaxing holidays for us are ones with Kids’ Club. What a difference an hour or two without the kids makes!

We once went to a resort that had a kids’ club open 12 hours a day. You could drop them off any time and they gave you a pager so if the kids wanted picked up, they’d buzz you. They had an itinerary of activities on offer, so they just signed up to the ones they were I retested in.

It can be stressful keeping an eye on kids around the pool.

No.

I don’t enjoy holidays abroad at all.

I find them more stressful than being at home with the children.

I don’t find them relaxing at all.

If you come out thinking Same shit in a different location it only means you booked the wrong holiday.

@pleasedonttextmyman

If you come out thinking Same shit in a different location it only means you booked the wrong holiday.

Not really. Still have to keep kids happy, and That's hard when they are young and used to Certain foods and toys etc

Yep.

We always did all inclusive holidays when the kids were little (0-7) Up early and down at the beach for a couple of hours. Back to the hotel for an early lunch and then an afternoon nap. At which point one of us would stay in the hotel room and read (or in DHs case nap too!) and the other would go for a walk or a swim. Then a couple of hours in the pool in the afternoon. Back to the room for showers then an early dinner and then usually the mini disco or the playground.

When they were young they may have then had a sleep in the buggy and we would have a drink but if not we'd just take some drinks back to the room and sit in the balcony and talk/play cards/read for a bit.

All inclusives get slated a lot on here but they were perfect for us when the kids were younger.

We always made sure we went and ate out of the hotel a couple of nights when it was cooler. Lots of restaurants often had a small play area. We would also try and do a couple of local attractions. I found small children are very good at getting up early which is great as generally cooler and places emptier!

And the best thing about all inclusives with small kids was the buffets. Lots of small bits of different food to try/pick at. Always something they would eat.

@HavelockVetinari it's great for us and we actually do feel we are on holiday and relax.
The places we went were always aimed at her so play parks, families(with kids to play with) , kids pools with water park features, kids entertainment etc. They were so good we didn't even have to use the kids club once. Not as high brow as some would like, but we go to relax and rest and ensure she still has fun.

And like I said, the lack of chores and housework makes things 100 times easier to begin with. After a busy day, have dinner whenever you get in, come back to an immaculate flat and just crash with having to do anything. Bliss..

We have been going to family holiday home the past 5 years (and visiting family in France) so at least it’s not as much carting of stuff about. DS is 5 now and each year it gets easier. This year though he seems to want to stick to me like glue and with the heat and midgie bites I’m very irritable

Yes always relaxed and loved holidays but at that age we went all inclusive to resorts so all food and cleaning done for you and activities just at your door. We never worried about sticking to routine. We have one with autism but he loves AI hotels and always asks for them plus they always have veggie food for DD who also loves them. Especially enjoyed the waterparks and going down the slides myself but mine have less of an age gap which helped.

It would be more of a challenge this year as UK based and resorts like this don't really exist. We did find a hotel once offering full board and swimming and bowling and kids playcentre on site which was nearest we found here and enjoyed that. In the UK I have to have a list of indoor and outdoor activities as weather is unpredictable but at least when they are older you can travel further for those.

Single mum to a toddler and absolutely love every second ! Even the journeys travelling to and from are an adventure !

We tend to have self catering holidays in the UK. Tesco deliver the food, and I bring a few home cooked meals from our freezer. I insist on a dishwasher and bring my favourite knife and a veg peeler. We usually pick houses with Netflix, or else buy DVD's in a charity shop

Not with a 2 year old!

My husband is pretty good at taking over on the food planning and cooking, or we'll eat out. However we had a particularly hard work, rainy week in Cornwall once and that put us off UK self catering for a while. To me it's only really a holiday if I don't have to do any "food admin" and AI ticks that box best. It also suits our autistic child, like @Silkiecats - he eats what he wants, we eat what we want, no compromise and no tricky menu stress.

It gets so much better, and in fact having teens on holiday makes things easier in some ways. They do their own packing and remember things that I forget (phone chargers etc), they do the heavy lifting of cases, they'll nip and get the Lays and Fanta for you, they want to try new foods...

You have to have those few years of holidays that make you question your sanity to truly appreciate what's yet to come.

They’ve only recently become easier with DC 5 and 3.5. Before that it was always just enjoyable as a change of scene and by the end I was grateful to get home and back to work! Toddlers take so much looking after and watching but now the youngest can go off and play at least for a little bit with the older one and we don’t have to worry about naps, nappies etc

I have a great time. But I have an adaptable, stoic child (only one), a great DH, and I like travelling so much I let a lot slide.

No.
Same shit but somewhere else.

Yanbu I am actually relieved that this is the 2nd year in a row we haven’t been away. DD is 6 so more bearable now but two year olds are a complete shambles!

Lol no! It’s not a holiday it’s a “trip” or a “change of scenery”. I haven’t had a Holiday in over 10 years but we travel a lot.

Yes, absolutely. I take multiple books and crafts and aim to get through them.

Kids are over 4 now, so that's easier as they're more independent. DH and I take it in turns to cook and do bedtime for the kids. We plan easy meals or eat out. I take them out for an activity to give him some peace, and then he returns the favour.

I'm also pretty chilled about them going off on the beach to play by themselves, I certainly don't play with them all the time, they'll have fun together.

I miss foreign hotel holidays, can't wait for a medium haul flight, epic hotel and a proper holiday after 2yrs of UK self catering. Fingers crossed for next year.

@unluckysunset

Nope. Same shit in a different location.

^^ this, except at new location the knives are all blunt!

Hahaha! So true!!