To hope my children won’t be toooo tired after a midnight flight?

[Carla6]

Hi, we’re flying back from Greece right at the end of the summer holidays and I hoped my children would sleep on the plane back so booked it for the night before they start back at school as that was much cheaper. Now I’m wondering if I’ve messed up as it’s a midnight flight landing at 2am! Then a 2 drive home once we get luggage…I didn’t think this through properly when booking. Has anyone had a journey back like this and how were their children the next day and following day, tiredness wise?! I mean I can’t actually move the flights now but I’m just wondering how much of a mistake I’ve made! Any tips for comfy sleeping on the plane?! Thanks!

Your children will have to lie.

But I’m guessing with you as their mother, they’ll be totally chilled about it

"What do you think farming families do in harvest time?"

Presumably don't harvest on the first of September immediately on return from a 2 week holiday to Crete

It’s only a 2 hour flight. If you’re lucky they will get a 90min nap on the flight and then have spent the rest of the night traveling. You have factor in all the travel effort before and after the flight. Then they head straight into their first day of school.

You have to reschedule this trip.

Well not really, they can just tell their friends and nobody will give a shit. Some of you seem to think this is going to be an Interpol matter. It must be all fun and games in your house if this is your usual mountain into molehill behaviour.

Of course they will be exhausted, as will you. I've done late night landings (as in midnight not 2am) and I'm 25 minutes from the airport, I'm still exhausted!

I honestly don’t get the aggro.

Is it ideal? No
Is it better that they go to school tired on the first day back rather than miss it? Yes
Will they be tired? Yes
Will they get any sleep? Yes probably 6-8 hours broken sleep (the op says it’s Greece so it’s a 4 hour flight)

like I said up the thread we did this last year, although not at the start of the school year and although the kids were tired it was fine. And yes I did go to work! Again, unless you have a health condition, humans are pretty resilient!

We did something similar (though going on a day trip, not going to school) with two 9 year olds a few years ago when going on holiday. They slept on the flight (in economy young bodies seem to manage that!), dragged themselves through luggage collection and customs and fell asleep in the car within minutes. Had to carry them from the car to bed. Up at 8 am for trip (much grumbling but plenty of excitement). Managed the day fine and we all had a great time, but in bed and asleep straight after dinner.

I don’t think they’d have managed it at 7 yo, but by 9 they could cope with one disturbed night. Do plan on everything being really easy when you get back - beds ready to get into. Following day’s clothes already laid out. School bags prepped. Easy breakfast waiting for you, etc. You’ll be shattered too so don’t rely on being able to think on your feet as easily the next morning. I would also plan on a low stress week when you’re back if you can, but that’s because I was totally knocked out by the journey. The kids recovered much more quickly.

I love the confidence people here have that they will sleep on the flight too. We flew long haul a lot (lived overseas) and mine didn't sleep on 10 hour overnight flights even as little ones! I didn't sleep on a 15 hour flight

The irony! 😂

You need to find out what words mean before using them.

Your recent contributions have made clear that you wouldn't understand common sense if it sat on your face and wiggled though,

to me saying that I don’t think telling your children to say that you missed the first day of the school year because they had the shits was really in anyone’s best interests.

the teacher will smell BS
the child will be forced to fib when asked
the child will miss first day of school year so friends will ask and then either more lies or tell truth and the risk one of them pippin up
fine if a teen but 4/5/6/7/8 - tricky and puts them in a difficult position but as I say - your kids sound like they’d be relaxed about it, so no biggie!

Okay I just wouldn’t want to lie. Call me old fashioned but there we have it.
either say you messed up flights and so will have to miss first day

or

change flight

The stuff about missing the first day of school isn't relevant to my post or our discussion because I'm not actually advocating that. My point was about what to do if OP keeps the flights as they are and also keeps the DC off, neither of which are a given.

As for the rest, the teacher would have to actually care enough to smell bullshit, the child would have to be asked, the friends would have to decide to communicate it and whoever they tell it to would also have to be bothered. In a busy first few days at school with loads of other stuff going on. There are a lot of assumptions here. It's not a good basis for a decision.

If you just prefer to lumber school with the problem of what to do about the unauthorised holiday rather than lying, fine, that's up to you. Personal call. But you can say that without the ridiculousness.

Why would it be lumbering them with a problem? They have a clear policy to follow, they don’t have to wonder about ‘what to do’. We’re flying back from our holiday 2 days after the half term. I’ve told the school. They’ve recorded it as an unauthorised absence but haven’t referred for a fine, based on their policies. Easy, and no one has to lie to anyone.

I think you’ve forgotten what it’s like when you miss school, especially the first day.

Teacher does generally ask “are you feeling better” especially as this will be a new pupil to them!

and friends do ask

and if young… those friends are liable to blurt out

It just sets a tone—- ah, parent lies to me. Parent makes child lie.

I think you've invested a bit much in this scenario you've created.

Exactly

when my holiday was rescheduled post covid - I wrote to the head and said that by leaving one day earlier - the price matched what I had paid pre covid and I couldn’t stretch to the leap the following.

his response “enjoy your holiday”

it was down as an unauthorised absence of course but no consequence and no stress

If a decision has to be made about whether an unauthorised holiday is referred for a fine or not, there's no getting round the fact that choosing to take them out and also tell school means they have to do this work when they wouldn't otherwise. Nor can you be certain that the school being discussed (not yours) operates in this way. I suppose problem isn't the best term there, labour is better, but it doesn't actually affect the post that you've replied to. Which is that the poster could simply have said she preferred doing it her way.

They won't be tired op.
They will be exhausted!

That was my point though, they don’t have to make a decision. They have a policy to follow. And whether their school has the same policy as ours or not, there is still no decision for the staff to make. They follow the policy of their school.

Don't be so hysterical and over the top.

Yes I have an idea, I have a school aged child, we holiday a few times a year, we're often away at weekends.

They can sleep on the plane and in the car home, your "2hrs" could easily be 6-7hrs. MY children would be fine, lots of children on this thread ARE fine and would be fine. A day feeling a bit tired is nothing.

I'm a CP social worker "fucking cruel" Honestly you need to give your head a shake, you don't understand what cruel means.
Parents are not selfish for wanting to give their children a lovely family holiday and may not be able to afford other options.

Well, that was clearly a bad decision. Getting in at 5am earliest the day before first day of school It'll go down in your family history as 'do you remember when...'

Maybe just let them sleep in a bit and arrive at school late. Not everyone can afford the more expensive flight times.

The day of their first day at school. Not the day before.

"I'm a CP social worker "fucking cruel" Honestly you need to give your head a shake, you don't understand what cruel means."

🤣🤣 yes I do. And I also know the definition of cruel. Is it the word "fuck" that upsets you?