To think family days out are mis-sold and wish to complain?

[JustAnotherManicMunchie]

Planned a lovely day out yesterday for my DC aged 10, 9 and 3 months. DC1 has ASD so takes some encouragement to get out of the house.

I spent ages planning and packing a picnic and headed off backpack in hand with visions of sunshine and the DC and I skipping through the meadows…

The reality was the DC bickered all the way to the venue, by the time we got there, DC1 was in a mood and dragging his sorry face along the ground ….

DC2 was fed up of DC1 and his endless rules.

Picked the baby up out of her car seat to find she’d had an explosive nappy all over her car seat . Cleaned up the baby whilst simultaneously trying to stop WW3 breaking out between the older two.

We carried on with our day and thought never mind, even Mary Poppins herself has blips … we can still skip in the meadows hand in hand al la perfect family style ….

We get to the playground at the venue and the DC are still bickering; before I can get to them , DC1 wallops DC2 under the wooden bridge like a troll clubbing the Billy Goats . The pair of them scrapping whilst the world looks on like they’re at a paid for title fight.

So embarrassed, I hauled them out of the park and we went for a walk. I’d paid £35 to get in, we were not leaving until we had at least some fake happy family photos ….

DC2 then tripped over a tree and skinned his knees , cue screaming like an injured wild animal. We left.

Today …. Is another day I thought…. Again , bundled them in the car and I promised myself today would be better and true family day out.

Twenty minutes in to the journey, I was screeching like a deranged lunatic over the pair of them ducking fighting and arguing again. I told them they were ruining family days out and I was so sick of their selfish bickering. I really lost my shit and told them they were making family life miserable and I wanted to go home and forget the day out ….

We went on to the seaside and had a fabulous time … before getting in the car and enduring a meltdown for the whole journey home.

I think I’ve been mis sold family days out and I’d like a refund on all the family days out we’ve ever had which follow the exact same pattern ….

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

AIBU ?

@Progress2019

Mine are grown up now, but I remember taking them up to London on the train one day, for a wonderful trip involving the zoo, natural history museum, meeting my brother for lunch, ending with a trip to Hamleys with money my parents gave me.

I thought it went well

At parents evening I got to look through younger daughters school work, I think she was about 7. It wasn’t quite the glowing account of ‘what I did at half term’ I was expecting. Just these words - My mummy made us go to London to stroke a beggars dog.

A beggar?? It wasn’t Dickensian London. It was a busker with a dog wearing a hanky around his neck.

😂😂 this made me cry with laughter

I went through a red light once because I was trying to deal with fighting in the back of the car between my two who are also only a year apart and were probably about a similar age as yours at the time. Thankfully no baby as well.

We were only a couple of minutes from home but they knew how furious I was and they got read the riot act about what could have happened. Never had an issue in the care ever again but I don't recommend trying the red light for real. Although you could tell them you did, they won't know.

Not a day out but holidays. We did 1 all inclusive hol to Spain before eldest started school. It’s thunderstormed all week, only dry day was the day we went home. Few years later we did Disney Paris. Where do they ask to go back too?! Yep Spain? The rainiest holiday ever,

My kids bicker too. I can garuntee my eldest will complain he’s thirsty/hungry every 5 mins when out.

@Progress2019 I love it. Reminds me of my DD's 'this is me' book when she was about 5. In it, she declared "We went on a family walk. It was very long and very horrible". She drew a picture of the horrible walk for good measure.

We used to spend most weekends taking DC somewhere, castles, the beach, parks etc etc.

One day we got DS1s jotter home from school. On a Monday they had to write a sentence about anything that they'd done. He wrote "We went to McDonalds on Saturday, I had a burger, it was good, I was happy" Teacher commented to say it was a good sentence and gave him a star for adding in his feelings. Well, that was that, every Monday the same bloody story. Never mind the picnics, visiting granny, going canoeing etc etc. same bloody story about McDs, never mind the fact that we only went twice a year as a treat for being good at the dentist!!

We had a family day at a gorgeous beach with gorgeous weather. My two boys were constantly fighting and bickering to the point where my normally really quiet little girl, screamed argggghhh stop fighting!

I have to admit I just closed my eyes and ignored them and went to sleep. I managed to get some Facebook photos so I was happy

Family days out suck, they are the worst! I've yet to have a good one with my DC, I've yet to experience a good day out. They usually involve my 2 boys scrapping on the floor like 2 Friday night drunks, with the eldest who has ASD insisting he's never leaving the house again.

First sign of whining or fighting in the back, pull over (if safe) turn around and tell the little fuckers that you are not moving until they shut up because you can’t drive safely and you will have a crash and probably die if they carry on bickering. Then sit their in silence until you get compliance. Happy days thereafter😀

@JustAnotherManicMunchie

I feel terribly guilty now about losing my temper. I ranted on and on about their bickering (it’s constant!) . The DC got upset. I did apologise and give them big hugs but explained that I’m losing my temper because it’s so frustrating to listen to!

You shouldn't feel you need to apologise unless you were said anything out of order. They are old enough to know that you are a person with feelings too, and when they behave badly you get angry and upset. It's not a bad thing they were upset. Endless patience and tolerance is all very well but children do need to know their behaviour has consequences, and a cross mum is sometimes one of them.

@Progress2019 very funny and reminds me of my DM’s shame on a similar parent’s evening walking along the school corridor viewing art. A lovely naive painting from my DB entitled’My mum likes to sit in the garden and drink beer.’ Apparently she’d done it once

Ah balls! I’m just in the process of planning our first proper day trip to London next month!! This thread is making me nervous!! Got 5 & 4 year old DD’s and it’s what they tell me they want to do!! I’m trying to expect scrapping, so I’m not too disappointed when it happens!

Can anyone recommend a lovely family friendly restaurant near Westminster or Waterloo tube stations that won’t mind tired,crabby children around 5/6pm?

I agree with a previous poster. Get the shouting, screaming and tears in early. Before arrival at venue. If it doesn't clear the air and improve behaviour. Then cancel.

Yeah, not worth it

I never did many days out with my kids. We spent a lot of time in the garden and the local park

Don’t even feel sorry for them, they were happy enough, especially with local friends who did the same

We’d just meet in the park with a non-instagrammable picnic (dry plain rolls, bar of chocolate, massive bag of Doritos. Coffee for the grown ups, or wine), I remember a day when my DS ran into into the surrounding woods with a massive bag of crisps, hotly pursued by his brother and 5 random kids

Just keep it really really simple

@MattDillonsEyebrows I would find out what they think London is at that age. What do they expect to see and go from there. It’s probably an LOL doll in Hamley’s.

A few years ago we had a particularly good summer. Dh and I both had 4 weeks off and had recently had a reasonably sized windfall so we had a bit of cash to burn.

We went to France for a week, Legoland, Longleat, umpteen beach and park days in the UK. The kids did kayaking and a day long boat trip, lovely BBQs, family parties, cinema, bowling, camping...just a ridiculous amount of great days. And glorious weather. Dh and I pretty much high fived each other at the end over what a wonderful month we'd had.

The first day back at school, Ds1 brought out a worksheet which was 'what did you do in the holidays'.

He wrote 'The best thing I did in the holidays was eat crisps in bed with daddy'. Complete with drawing of stick-dh and stick-ds, in a bed surrounded by crisp packets.

@Progress2019 thank you! Actually made me cry laughing

I ageee @MarleneDietrichsSmile. I work with primarily Chileans Ona recent trip to local woods, the year 2s declared it the best day of their lives!

*Primary children

Like chasingsquirrels we once took dc aged 8 around the Kennedy Space Center.
He was horrific all day, I was sorry nothing blasted from space from there anymore.

Having finally finished the day, we were sitting back at the hotel clutching our drinks tightly.

Ds pipes up it was the best day yet of the holiday. 5 years on DH and I well remember our incredulity at what we were hearing.

Yanbu this is one of reasons I had one dc.Cant argue with themselves

@WeatheringStorms22 so funny. Reminds me of the year end chats we have with children where we ask them to recall their favourite things. It’s always what they did 10 minutes ago.

I used to ban mine from even talking to each other. It was the only way to prevent WW3.

@EffYouSeeKaye oh you must be my age (44) cos that is exactly what l would have done .....hope you didn't miss the wedding!

@Progress2019 a common theme!

We did the London Eye and the aquarium as well as Westminster and Buckingham Palace. The bit they remember? Chasing the pigeons in the park.

FFS, could have done that at home! And to add insult to injury it was St James’s Park. Not even a mention of the bloody pelicans…

Hi this is customer services.

We are very sorry to hear about your dissatisfaction, but can assure you that most Days Out (TM) are just fine.

Before we offer you a full refund, we need to try a few things.

Have you tried turning your family off and back on again?