To ask you to whinge about family holiday behaviour with me?

[LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet]

Can we please have a collective (light hearted) whinge about how annoying family can be on holiday. Currently with extended family in France on day 5.

• People seem to not want to talk to me until the nanosecond I open my book. Then they want to tell me about their colleague’s bowel disease, or tell me about this film they saw that they can’t remember the name of synopsis of, or ask me inane questions about my favourite biscuit. I’ve read the same page about 15 times today
• For some reason the whole party has decided that I am full knowledge of where everybody’s suncream, athletes foot cream, sunglasses, goggles, towels and toothpaste is. And looked surprised when I say I have absolutely no idea, I didn’t even know you brought a blue towel.
• Over politeness about what time to eat and when. Lots of “I don’t mind, you decide” “Honestly I’m not fussed, I’ll eat anything at any time”. Ok, what about pizza at 6pm? “Oh god no not pizza and 6pm is FAR too early”.

I’m currently on a sunlouger hiding from everyone

Being me your trivial complaints!

Similarly, I made all the arrangements for a holiday with parents, including two changes of date and various parts of the trip that didn't involve me. This was all communicated in ample time and confirmed in emails. Nevertheless there was still a complaint from my dad that I hadn't reminded him what time the taxi was coming. (I'm not your sodding PA!)

After a week holiday with my DH’s family, I declared we would never do it again and DH agreed.

They planned dinner for DD’s bedtime every single night (the only exception being our night to cook) even when we asked them not to. DD absolutely needed to go to bed on time or she was too tired and wouldn’t enjoy the holiday. She was also young enough that DH or I needed to sit with her so one of us had cold dinner every night.

DD also wanted to have a ‘pool party’ (everyone in the pool altogether) so she asked them all and they said yes. She made invitations for them and everything and was so excited. None of them came in the pool for her. If they’d said no from the beginning or came and had a chat with us, we’d have let her down gently rather than wait until no one (apart from DH and I) was with her.

I’m a vegetarian and have been as long as they’ve known me. They booked the only all fish restaurant in the town we were staying in. We looked at their menu and there was nothing I could have at all. FIL got so angry and aggressive with DH when he asked to change the booking that I wanted to pack the car and leave right then. SIL had apparently put a lot of effort into booking it. 🤨

I will never go on holiday with them again.

When my DD was a toddler my in-laws took us all on holiday for a week but we had no say in where or when. They are not hugely well off but insisted they would pay for everything. We flew to Ireland and when we got there it turned out FIL had booked one car for 9 of us (including 3 toddlers) because he thought 4 adults could squish in the back with one kid on their lap and the other 2 toddlers in the boot. We had to hire another car at great expense and he endlessly moaned about how people are to safety concious these days.

Taking hours to leave the house.... teens not up so can't leave early, then too close to lunch time so have to pack a picnic, then the repeating of 'are we ready' followed by someone needing the loo (4 loos in the house!)

We stopped for lunch and went to the loo afterwards, got back, everyone ready to go.. someone else decides they need the loo too... no one can go at the same time .. it has to be a relay.

After dinner we agreed to have a game.. grandma decides she wants to have a shower.. so we wait.. and then grandad decides he wants to have a shower.. we didn't wait for him, he had to join in later.

These are all bearable though... my family is another story of manipulation, obligation and generally making me feel unwelcome and a bother yet insisting that I come with my kids. We sit around all being miserable rather than enjoying our holiday. My eldest is 18 and I wish had broken the pattern before he left home.

I’ve never been on a family holiday but we went to see my parents this week. 4.5 hour drive to get there. It’ll be the only time we’ll see them in person for the next 12 months. We’ve not seen them since last summer.

Yesterday morning dad was sat in the shed and mum had gone shopping…..
We sat in the kitchen on our own, glad I bothered.

We arr currently on holiday with DPs extended family. Us +4kids, cousins A B C D E with their partners and 3,2,2,2 3 kids respectively, MIL, parents of cousins A&B, parents of cousins C& D, father of cousin E, and sister of MIL

Fortunately each family is in their own house & the houses are not next door to each other (think max 10 min walk in different directions)
There are also other family myers planning to be here for part of the holiday

So far I have not slept beyond 6.30am on any day
I am NOT a morning person & really, really want a few lie ins, preferably with someone bringing me a nice cuppa at some point.

Various kids have woken me up every day; always some of mine but also varying different kids from other families.
My DP has promised to have a word with his cousins today and we've had a chat with ours about how holidays mean different things for different people and I need some sleep.

We've not all been together for the last 2 summers because of covid so the kids are mega excited to be together.
Its lovely to see them all having such fun.

And fish - all the bloody fish, I'm allergic to shellfish and not a huge fan of fish generally. I do not want to eat fish at every meal every day.
They all think I'm very weird because of this.

Left a building site at home (extension) to come on holiday to family villa in Med, joined by DM. She's had a horrible few months and is in declining health, so i get her wanting to do active nesting stuff here, but I could really, really do without her turning this house into a building site too - came back from a swim with DC to find gate off hinges and in kitchen, main outdoor area covered with tools and detritus for sanding doors and scraping metalwork, and all of this because she can't remember that work is planned on this house for next year when all this stuff will be fixed or replaced anyway. If I tell her again she'll get upset that we don't like the house and want to change it. I sympathise I really do but it's exhausting...

Dh and I agree with this wholeheartedly.

You are insane to be going on holiday with extended family. Id rather shoot myself in the foot.

Memories of taking dpil on hols. Fil in front with dh. Mil in front with me (2 cars) and various children dotted around.
Dmil read every single road sign to me from Bucks to the Isle of Wight. And I mean everyone. Ery speed sign, every school sign. Every one.

Also - the panic at silences or gaps on the conversation. I’ll happily sit round a table or on a sun lounger with others round me just soaking in the sun and enjoying my thoughts. We are together for a whole week, we don’t need to always be talking. But several members of the family I think worry that this is rude or awkward so come out with random drivel like “I wonder if you still get houses with single glazed windows these days”.