Page 14 | Child spoiling holiday

Carrie76 · 2023-02-08T08:02:10+00:00

We’re currently on a ski holiday, first time for the kids. Child no 2 is refusing to go to ski school, he thinks it’s boring. The other 2 would rather ski with parents too but they’re okay to do it. I’m currently sitting in the apt with the middle one as if he’s not doing ski school he’s not going skiing. He’s very headstrong and I don’t think he should get his way. I’m now resenting the fact that I’ve to sit here for 2.5 hrs until the lesson is over. Do I then let him ski in the afternoon??

Mandyjack · 09/02/2023 21:53

Carrie76 · 08/02/2023 08:24

He didn’t ask to go to ski school, we explained when booking the holidays that that’s have lessons for 2.5 hrs in the morning in order to learn how to ski. Once that’s done we spend the rest of the time together as a family skiing. He’s a very athletic kid and has taken to it very quickly. He wants to go whizzing down blue and red slopes not follow an instructor down at a slow pace. I’m not much of a skier so I can’t take him whizzing down slopes!

You should've told him if he doesn't do ski school he doesn't ski in the afternoon either and everyday he misses of ski school is another day of not skiing. He'd soon realise he'd be bored.
Just be firm and tell him he's going, you're the adult

lifeinthehills · 09/02/2023 21:53

My parents would just have told me how it was. You're going to ski school, no discussion.

Mandyjack · 09/02/2023 21:56

Carrie76 · 08/02/2023 11:35

Thanks for all the replies! We had a chat about it and I told him he can’t just announce he’s not going and get into a strop. I explained that if he has a point to make and a reasonable argument we can discuss it but there’s no flat out this is what I’m doing.

I took him out for an hour on the condition that he goes for the rest of the week which he has agreed to. We will all go out together this afternoon. He has lost his afternoon treat for the way he spoke to me.

But you did allow him to refuse to go and get stuck indoors with him while he got his own way. If he likes skiing he needs to learn to do what he's asked or not go at all. He'll get worse as he goes into teenage years so you need to be firm now

Occitane · 09/02/2023 21:58

I agree with some of the other posters, if that group is too easy he will be bored. I would ask the ski school to put him in a more suitable group, then he will have much more fun.

Ginseng1 · 09/02/2023 22:07

We going first time with kids soon & we all booked in for lessons (its been years since dh n I went) & my DS (athletic daredevil) already saying he doesn't 'need' lessons. Guarantee after a day he think he knows it all while I'll be snow ploughing on the baby slopes.

Budgiegirlbob · 09/02/2023 22:07

I hate seeing those poor miserable kids in those ski schools. My dad took me with him and taught me to ski, lovely memories

Whch is fine, if you have a parent who can teach you. The OP is not a strong skier, so her DS needs to go to ski school

I had ski school lessons as a child - nothing miserable about it, I had a lot of fun.

Budgiegirlbob · 09/02/2023 22:10

Occitane · 09/02/2023 21:58

I agree with some of the other posters, if that group is too easy he will be bored. I would ask the ski school to put him in a more suitable group, then he will have much more fun.

It’s probably worth checking with the instructor if DS is good enough to move up a group. But it could just be that he’s impatient and wants to go fast before learning the basics.

MsNightingale · 09/02/2023 22:14

Our children hated ski school as well because it was aimed at the least able child (obviously) and they were bored. We hired a private instructor (we have enough children that there wasn’t much difference in price) and that made all the difference.

Stewball01 · 09/02/2023 23:26

This.

ChellyT · 09/02/2023 23:54

Usually our child lift passes come with ski lessons/school. My son who wasn't keen on lesson/school but just wanted to hit the slopes knew better than to piss me off and just go for a refresher. I honestly don't understand why your son gets a choice to go or not? Maybe next time he can cough up his share of the holiday expenses?

Well to my son's surprise he was the only one to show up for the lesson, his instructor (a retired champion snow boarder) decided as it was just the two of them he would go and get a snow mobile. He took my son over the mountain to what my snow called 'snow boarders paradise'. My son not only got to travel on a snow mobile, he also had an intense 1 on 1 lesson with an instructor that my son called a 'legend'. When my son talks about going to the snow this is a story my son tells over and over again fondly...

SnoringMicrophone · 09/02/2023 23:59

Eastereggsboxedupready · 08/02/2023 08:05

Well I hope they aren't sat on their tech..

But if they were…. what the bloody hell has it got to do with you?!

SnoringMicrophone · 10/02/2023 00:13

You can’t make anyone - no matter what their age - WANT to do anything they aren’t interested in.
Forcing someone, yeah, if you’re hell bent on trying to make them enjoy YOUR hobbies… But then don’t expect them to enjoy it. Again, regardless of age.
It’s your child’s holiday too, stop being so rigid and let him relax. Kids probably need more chillout time than adults, it’s shit being a kid! So many pressures, social anxieties, expectations and uncertainties. Oh - and irritating parents! Leave him alone if you want to help him. He’s probably exhausted as it is.😕

XelaM · 10/02/2023 00:21

SnoringMicrophone · 10/02/2023 00:13

You can’t make anyone - no matter what their age - WANT to do anything they aren’t interested in.
Forcing someone, yeah, if you’re hell bent on trying to make them enjoy YOUR hobbies… But then don’t expect them to enjoy it. Again, regardless of age.
It’s your child’s holiday too, stop being so rigid and let him relax. Kids probably need more chillout time than adults, it’s shit being a kid! So many pressures, social anxieties, expectations and uncertainties. Oh - and irritating parents! Leave him alone if you want to help him. He’s probably exhausted as it is.😕

Why don't you read the OP's posts?!?!?

The kid loves skiing and wants to ski fast without an instructor. He thinks he's too advanced for ski school.

Actually, I have never met a kid in real life who didn't enjoy skiing 🤷‍♀️

SnoringMicrophone · 10/02/2023 00:24

Doesn’t want to go though does he?!?!? 🤷🏻‍♀️ Or he would!

Catcharolo · 10/02/2023 00:30

Mediocrates · 09/02/2023 18:05

Best lesson I ever learned about holidays as a parent was that it’s their holiday too. Me planning a holiday that I imagined it should be led to misery all round. Why does he have to go to ski school?

I wouldn’t go with that perspective.. literally every weekend day and school holiday day is a flippin holiday for my children! Day trips, parties, lying in, nice food cooked for them, films of their choice, sports of their choice, playing with each other, playing with friends, chilling whenever they want to. Interspersed with a bit of school which tbh they all seem to love most of the time anyway. My kids definitely don’t ‘need’ a holiday! I, on the other hand 💯 need a holiday!

Of course I wouldn’t book anything that would make my children ‘miserable’, but in all honesty, what activity or holiday could be so awful that it would cause actual misery in a typical child?! I can’t imagine.

XelaM · 10/02/2023 00:31

SnoringMicrophone · 10/02/2023 00:24

Doesn’t want to go though does he?!?!? 🤷🏻‍♀️ Or he would!

Doesn't want to go to ski school, but wants to ski!

It's like not wanting to take horse riding lessons but wanting to jump 1.3m fences after having learned how to trot.

Catcharolo · 10/02/2023 00:34

SnoringMicrophone · 10/02/2023 00:24

Doesn’t want to go though does he?!?!? 🤷🏻‍♀️ Or he would!

He definitely wants to ski! He just thinks he’s too good for lessons and is ruining his mums morning! No 10yo is too good for lessons. And I doubt he’s exhausted. Illness aside I’ve never known any of my 4 be randomly exhausted on a ski holiday!

Gooseysgirl · 10/02/2023 00:42

Jesus.. he's being an entitled cocky little sod. No family skiing unless he does ski school. Non negotiable. He'll soon lose interest in reading his magazines!!

SnoringMicrophone · 10/02/2023 00:49

So don’t make him go! He doesn’t want to go to ski school!

SnoringMicrophone · 10/02/2023 00:53

’never known kids be exhausted on a skiing holiday’ …. REALLY?!

SnoringMicrophone · 10/02/2023 00:54

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Snowpixi · 10/02/2023 07:29

Hi OP. You are not being unreadable and for the people responding and saying you are probably don’t ski and haven’t been on a. Ski holiday. Your child needs to learn to ski safely. It was be a bit boring doing s lines slowly down the slopes but her needs to understand that he has to learn control.

my advise for next year is to get him ski lessons before you go to start him in a better position. He will graduate quicker then when he hits to slips on the Europe ski schools.

we do this with our children.

he is ruining your holiday, these holidays are expensive and happen once a year. If he loves skiing he has to learn how to do it sadly and not bomb down the hill.

Ellflet · 10/02/2023 07:36

Why are you asking complete strangers something that you should be able to decide for yourself. I would not pander to him at all. The world is full of children who do not respect or appreciate what they have and make things unpleasant for others in order to get their own way.

InsufficientMum · 10/02/2023 14:31

😂Why are you asking complete strangers something that you should be able to decide for yourself.
does this not apply to the majority of posts on here?

ellyeth · 10/02/2023 19:39

I would have hated being put into a ski school with children I didn't know - and I would have been very self-conscious and worried abut making a fool of myself in front of others. Perhaps he feels that way too - or he just doesn't like the idea of being bundled off to something he didn't ask for.

For children who are outgoing and relish this sort of physical activity (and I imagine skiing can be very challenging and pretty exhausting), they would surely enjoy skiing classes and would be very fortunate to have the opportunity to learn to ski properly. For those a little more introverted and possibly nervous amongst new people, it might seem like a nightmare.

I think the criticisms of you are rather unkind and unhelpful. I do agree, though, that perhaps it isn't really fair to force an activity such as this on a child, and it might be better to find something else to do while these classes are on.