To be raging - school holiday camp

[peoniesandpumpkins]

Booked my DC into the holiday camp at our local tennis club. They’ve just turned the age that you can go from but it’s just 3.5 hrs (they do pre school 2 days 9-3 and 3 days 9-1:30 so used to longer days etc.) It’s not all tennis, lots of games.

They have absolutely loved it. Been twice now. My mum picked up last week (she knows a lot of the coaching team) and they mentioned he’d been great, my mum asked about the toilet and they mentioned ‘oh yes they know where the toilet is’ ‘jokingly’ apparently. We took that to mean they’d been going quite a lot, but at least not peed themselves!! Husband picked up on Mon, great time again. Due to go tomorrow, really excited!

Logged onto work email (not personal) tonight to see an email from organiser sent at 8:43PM saying ‘sorry but don’t think peonies child is really ready for 3.5 hrs of tennis (it’s not 3.5 hrs of tennis) they are more interested in going to the toilet and this impacts on the coaching team’

Honestly, I do know that they can be a little bugger for wanting to go off to loo if they think they can go have a nosey/explore and get away with it. I apologised said as much but, said they love it and that messaging at 8:40 odd at night (to my work email (wouldn’t have seen it ordinarily) the night before was really not great, would they please let me have a chat, let them come tomorrow (really left me in the f’ing lurch) and if more of same then I understand.

They emailed back to say it’s a no as a member of staff has to take them to the toilet each time. I am confused about this as they normally have to be told to go toilet (unless opportunity for boggling - which they wouldn’t get if they have to go with an adult), so I’m like well yes I understand that and that is annoying but I am telling you that I am 98% certain that will stop once I’ve had a word and if it doesn’t then yes I’m in agreement. I just think it’s so shitty not to give them a last chance.

Also I don’t think it’s that they don’t want to have take them to the toilet full stop, as there are 2 children doing it who aren’t quite 5 (one not until the new year) who have been allowed as they have older siblings so surely if it’s an age thing they are having to take them to the loo when they need to go?!? DC quite capable of going on own physically iykwim. Can understand they need to be supervised.

If it was that they weren’t coping/joining in or didn’t have the motor ability then I understand but why not mention that then.

All just seems rather mean not to let us have a chat and give them another chance. Not to mention bloody unprofessional, she could have told me on Monday night or Tuesday night!

How would they know if they don't live there 😄

I'm in Wales and I've no idea and give no fucks about what the rest of the UK do regarding school holidays

@ssd wow of assumptions there, if you’d have read my posts you’ll have seen that I said to them I would book all the blocks we wanted to secure the place but said I would just pay for the trial session initially - this was last Wednesday. To avoid getting into a situation where he hated and them having to refund!!!!! So I was definitely thinking about whether he would enjoy it or not thank you very much! We’ve tried a couple of weekend things in the past and he’s told me he didn’t want to go back straight away so I was confident in both asking him and getting an honest answer and being cautious. Jesus how do you know if you don’t try things?!

Just spoke to Mum, One of the coaches said he had been fine and a ‘little rockstar’ apparently after last Weds! So no one was worried and this gets stranger.

And when asked last Weds he said he loved it. So I went and payed for the full booking last week.

It's a perfectly cromulent word.

I think you need to be very careful when signing your child up for an activity camp. It will be all about that activity. If you don’t want that, you need to find a more relaxed childcare option.

@dancinfeet your club sounds wonderful but I would never sign up my children as they would hate it. We are all for full day tennis, football, netball and cricket camps. If I can’t find a full day camp, we will take a few hours - as these are activities they love.

@sweepleall , I was a non-sporty child. I would have hated any kind of sports camps (loved a dance/theatre one) and I feel beyond sorry for the non-sporty children who are signed up. They hate it, miss the ball (tennis /cricket), nobody passes to them so never touches the ball (netball and football) and generally have pretty rotten days.

my youngest likes science camps. I would never, ever send my oldest to a science camp (she would be miserable, on her kindle, on her phone). There are camps for everyone.

@Stripeyjumper1

What an odd attitude! I'm not even in the UK and I know the holiday variations there, maybe not to the exact day but broadly!

It definitely is childcare as they are in loco parentis, you don't stay and watch them, though I agree the child has to enjoy the activity. DDs used to love the tennis camps they did in the summer. The short notice is utterly crap and I can imagine how disappointed he must be.

Perhaps you could find a mini camp or other activity for him to do and/or play some tennis with him.

Remember these places are often run by small own businesses. The end result of them needing more staff (and thus costs) to accommodate the 5 year olds not ready to listen yet, is to increase their starting age or put up their costs.

@HooverIsAlwaysBroken they are all bloody sports or craft based though here 😩😩. DC loves being active, doing the organised games, they were very clear there’s lots of games and it isn’t solidly the activity. So that’s why I chose this over the craft option.

there’s a multi activity one but you have to be 6….perhaps that’s to make sure children have done a year of primary then.

It's all so strange, and I feel really sad for your little boy.

I would definitely go & talk to them - I've never heard anything as mad! I've had kids in camps over many years & there's often one or two kids behaving like lunatics (far worse than going to the toilet too often!) & the camps put up with it, maybe a word to mum & dad. My eldest DD was working at a camp last week, and one small boy had endless strops if a game didn't go his way & would decide he was off home, resulting in a coach having to chase after him & talk him round. Clearly they didn't love that behaviour but they worked with it.

This is so unprofessional as well as unkind.
I'm not sure I'd want my DC going back after how they've handled it anyway, but I'd definitely want an explanation.

And yes I’m not sure why you’d do these things if you didn’t need childcare unless your DC were totally obsessed, surely if it was just something they/enjoyed or were good at they’re already doing it on an evening/weekend are people paying extra then on top in the holidays even when they don’t need the child care?

This

are people paying extra then on top in the holidays even when they don’t need the child care?

In my experience, yes. Many kids do camps when childcare isn't explicitly needed. Just to occupy them / fun

I agree! It’s on the club- why accept from 5yo if they can’t actually handle that age group?? I expect they’re just casting their net wide and then deciding one or two are too awkward to accommodate! Is there any type of contract or info about cancellation from them or you? If you can be bothered I’d have attempted to take it further and hold them to their responsibility but if you cba then never mind & move on! X

OP, do you think that although he was enjoying it, he might also have found it a bit overwhelming? I know someone who did this in his first couple of weeks at school. It was a French-speaking school and he didn't have the language skills to cope, so sticking up his hand and saying "Toilettes, madame" felt like the only thing he could control and gave him a break from a stressful situation. He was fine after a few weeks.

@IScreamAtMichaelangelos

That's one meaning of the word but I don't think what OP means as she says:

I am confused about this as they normally have to be told to go toilet (unless opportunity for boggling - which they wouldn’t get if they have to go with an adult),

Doesn't match the usual definition of 'boggling' which is 'mind-boggling' and the definition you gave.

It's tennis...

@Walruswithbraces quite a few of my regular attendees have parents who are teachers so they do have a parent at home, many others are way past the age of needing childcare- we have teenagers who come to our summer camps. Most of the parents who do book their children in have a back up plan, so they may be at a grandparents / friend / relative before and after our club, if their child doesn’t want to participate they will spend the day with that person instead. Also, the lady I had to ring to
collect her child and who switched off her phone had gone shopping to the nearest city with her friend whose daughter was also at the club, she wasn’t even at work.
There should be more general holiday childcare options for people to leave their child with who have to work, sadly there seems to be a lack of provision. As a private organisation we are not obliged to provide anything to everyone and can choose our clientele if needed. Luckily the vast majority who book into our sessions know what to expect, the children have a fantastic time and it is only on an extremely rare occasion that we have to call a parent to collect their child (once every few years or so).

What have you decided to do OP?

@EarringsandLipstick sorry it means being nosey, kinda like ‘rubber necking’

I agree its annoying of them. But Id take it as shorthand for..your child is too youn and we have realised we cant meet their needs in this group coaching environment

But a tennis camp is not technically child care is it? It’s not their issue that you have no childcare today, it’s not like a nursery giving you 12 hours notice. Tennis coaches should not be dealing with issues like this. My oldest child is 7 and goes to tennis camp, my youngest who is also starting school in Sept is dying to go but I know they’ll mess about a little bit more. There is a big difference in summer camps and preschool. The fact you and granny were worried about any toilet issues suggests they can’t be left with non childcare professionals just yet.

If they don't want to take children so young they need to advertise it for older kids. They are at fault here. 5 year olds are obviously going to need more support than older kids, seems they don't want to look after children at the lower end of the age limit. I'd assume it's greed on their part, they are more likely to get siblings stretching the age range and so more ££, but they'll only take 5 year olds that don't need the loo often!

Could be worse, they could have been rationing toilet breaks and your child ended up having an accident.

@HooverIsAlwaysBroken 😂 it’s definitely not for everyone! for the children who love to dance, sing and perform it’s a great camp, usually finished off with a little performance for the parents at the end of the day at home time.

Yes....these camps are for kids that love and need to be active.
They are set at 3.5 hrs so they don't have to ve ousted registered....but for most working parents that's not helpful. Where I live most who use them are SAH parents or have taken the week/day off.
I have done this for my kids with swimming, tennis, netball and dance camps - whatever they were interested in and wanted to improve at.

I work with kids, and going to the toilet is the oldest avoidance tactic in the book.
Are you sure he's enjoying it as much as you say?