Bad weather only really matters when you have children

[Welcometotheterrorzone]

This might be a bit of a 'well duh' thread but...
Since when did so much of my happiness depend on the weather?
Child free friends still seem to have amazing weekends and holidays despite it pissing down all week. 'Let's just go to the pub or musuem or stay in and watch interesting box sets' all of which are denied to parents of small children.
Now my life seems to revolve around 'please don't rain' 'did I just feel a spot' and 'we've paid £1,700 for this cottage and we are going to the beach, kids, get your waterproof trousers on!'
I mean, I chose this life, but I never expected to have to spend half my life in a car 'waiting for it to ease up a little?'

@Just10moreminutesplease

No. My 7 month old son can go to museums and other indoor attractions.

My dog on the other hand needs walking whatever the weather.

Come back in 10/15 months.

7 month olds are potatoes. Not the same as a toddler/pre-schooler

7 month olds are either completely stationary or slow moving crawlers who can be strapped into the pushchair. So of course you can take them to museums and other indoor attractions as there's very little chance of them totalling some priceless object or taking a nosedive into a stone fountain
Tell this to 6mo DD, who chipped a tooth and blacked an eye (separate occasions) with family who didn’t believe my warnings on her crawling speed (like a greased pig at the county fair) and ambition. But otherwise I broadly agree!

As ever I think it entirely depends on the child and temperament. I have an insatiable appetite for wet weather and the right gear for it; DD has the appetite and the gear, but she’s a skinny thing and once the cold gets in her bones, that’s it, she’s done, and the howling doesn’t stop till she’s home and defrosted in a warm bath.

I don't agree that adults aren't bothered about the weather. Before DD we liked short breaks going on walks, not very enjoyable if it pisses down all the time.

Or my last holiday before giving birth - instead of balmy 17-20 degrees and sun we had snow in southern France. Yes, we were told it was unusual but hey, all the outdoor excursions were off.

Saying that, due to bad weather we discovered little hidden gems we would normally not bothered going. But often these cost money and then the holiday is suddenly more expensive.

With DD I found the biggest challenge that I obviously don't take all the toys with us on holiday. So while we always had some, it's a huge differnce to the boxes in her room to choose to play with.

We took her to museums from birth, well 3 month because that's what we like to do. Luckily she liked it as well and while it is obviously a different experience to doing it as an adult it can be really fun and I found most museums are very well equipped to deal with younger children. Even the fairly stuffy V&A in London has an activity pack for pre-schoolers.

A holiday park is my personal worst nightmare, you can go a to softplay and swimming independently as well.

@MattyGroves

I didn't really believe in differences between boys and girls at this age before I had kids but IMO this plays into it. I have two boys and they just need to get outside properly once a day. The parents I know IRL who are judgemental about this and all "can't you just stay inside and bake and do colouring" all have girls

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

-Sincerely, Mother of a Girl who needs a shit ton of exercise every single day, and regularly beats all the boys in her class at wrestling.
It's 2021, babe, not 1921.

I agree that part of it is mindset. I have a friend who would rather spend a fortune on loads of indoor activities then go for a walk in the rain with her children. However, when it’s your holiday for the year and it’s miserable outside it’s just rubbish. I think if you’re a SAHP and you know you can get out loads when the weather is good it’s very different to someone working full time.

@HereBeFuckery the irony of you saying 'babe' 😂

I hate the rain ,cold and wet. So it's rare I'll brave it kids or not . Tbh, DD does make it better as her enthusiasm and excitement rubs off on us two grumpy miserable gits .