AIBU to be cheesed off with shrieking kids on holiday?

[AnnoyedOnHoliday]

Recently my DP took me on an amazing surprise holiday for my birthday a few weeks ago, 4 nights in a beautiful 5 star hotel - definitely a big treat and really outside of our normal budget so obviously wanted to enjoy it to the absolutely maximum. Hotel was absolutely beautiful and facilities/staff were pretty faultless.

I don't want to say it was ruined but definitely marred by the amount of unruly children. The main pool of the hotel had two pool - a smaller shallow one for kids and another larger one bit more suitable for being able to get a proper swim in. Everyday the main pool as well as the kids one was taken over by kids shrieking in rubber rings, splashing and jumping as well as just being smack bang in the centre of the pool so hard to swim. The area was basically taken over by the constant noise of shouting, screaming, crying and small children sprinting into your sun lounger every two seconds. I found it really hard to concentrate on unwinding and couldn't concentrate on reading my book as so noisy and chaotic and obviously found using the pool for swimming quite annoying also.

The hotel was very much in the countryside so we ate the really great hotel restaurant quite a few breakfasts, lunches and 2 dinners. Every single time, early in the morning, late at night children were sprinting up and down the dining room, running into waiters, more of that shrieking again. More examples but you get the idea.

It seemed to be happening in many different families and every single time I'd look over and they'd be just ignoring their kids or encouraging them to run around so they could have drinks/eat their meal without having to deal with them and 9 times out of 10, I'd never see them being reprimanded for being disruptive.

I get that looking after small children is full on and stressful (I'm really not talking about kids crying/distressed as I know that cannot be helped - referencing the running around shrieking behaviour) but AIBU to think to think it's a bit out of order to just zone out and let everyone have their meals and relaxing time ruined because you're in 'holiday mode' and want some time off parenting?

It just felt a bit jarring that we'd paid to be on holiday too and were basically having to endure everyone else kids.

Good for her, it's amazing how a stretched out leg can sort of the brats.

I went to see a late-night screening of Prometheus last night, which was made a bit irksome because a group of 12-year-old boys talked and played with their phones for the last hour, wtf were they doing at a screening that ended at 1 AM anyway. I worry about kids and their crazily short attention spans

I don’t know. Perhaps they are broken. Perhaps I am broken. Perhaps it’s society. I am sure it’s all my fault somehow but it’s not for want of trying.

if you have some tips please do share.

It’s really not on to trip kids up or threaten to hurt them. It’s not their fault that they’ve not been taught properly and nobody deserves to be potentially hurt over annoying behaviour.

*agent765
Haha. My mum's walking stick is also a bit of a trip hazard at times. She's old school and always says she'll give them something to scream about.

Good for her, it's amazing how a stretched out leg can sort of the brats.*

Yep. Sure you do.

This. Lockdown is nothing to do with it. We're not in lockdown anymore and I see that as an excuse for frankly lazy parenting which is what it is.

I fully don't care what anyone says, I see plenty of "parents" who take their kids to public places like hotels and allow their kids to scream and yell, race around and it's fine for THEM because they're sat on their loungers chatting and because the kids are distracted they can relax.

Apparently though they don't care about anyone else's enjoyment or the money anyone else paid to be there. Entitlement at its absolute best, if I wanted to listen to other peoples kids scream I'd go to Butlins or Disneyland. Weirdly, I don't!!

I do tend to stay in adult only hotels because nothing annoys me more, and I don't blame the kids at all, they're kids. I blame the parents.

Completely unnecessary for kids to shriek and scream constantly. I get they want to have fun and will make excited noises of enjoyment but screaming for the sake of it is different. My girls were not allowed to scream and they also were not allowed to run amok in restaurants causing a nuisance of themselves, not fair on other diners. The last all inclusive holiday we had we didn’t really enjoy due to the people around us and since then we’ve had 2 villa holidays, one with extended family and one just the four of us - best holidays we’ve had. My girls are 19 and 16 and they will even comment on badly behaved kids and say they would never let their kids (when they have then) behave like that. It really is a shame that these kids and parents spoil holidays for others.

Sadly (for you), I understand how disappointing it may be but what for you is super special occasion which in your mind demands total peace and special treatment, for some families is just their regular family holiday and they just do it as a regular family holiday 🤷‍♀️

there are adult only hotels including 5 star hotels to go to if you don’t want to be bothered by kids

I fully don't care what anyone says, I see plenty of "parents" who take their kids to public places like hotels and allow their kids to scream and yell, race around and it's fine for THEM because they're sat on their loungers chatting and because the kids are distracted they can relax.

^^ spot on! I totally agree with roses321 and Kezzabellejackson.

I experienced this fairly frequently in coffee shops, restaurants, children’s parks, on public transport, motorway service stations, in play centres and holiday resorts … basically the parents leave the children alone to disrupt everyone else … and then sit and have a nice relaxed time themselves! It’s quite deliberate.

And of course if you are an engaged parent who has grasped the fact that holidays with dc are not the same as holidays alone with other adults, and you are there keeping your child busy and happy, the children who are being ignored by their parents will flock to you for some attention and so you end up looking after their dc too, while their parents enjoy themselves.

It is the height of entitlement and a “I’m alright Jack” mentality.

We are on a cruise at the moment. When we booked it we had completely forgotten what family cruises were like.
Some of the kids are a menace. Running along corridors banging on doors.Barging into the lifts before people can get out. Running around the restaurant .
Parents nowhere to be seen.

A few months ago I was meeting with my sister for dinner in a restaurant so we could discuss our mothers probate and will. As you can imagine it was a pretty upsetting conversation and she had left her children with her partner so we could talk in peace. I don't have kids.

All through the meal we were interrupted by some kid from one of the tables behind coming over to our table and trying to make conversation. My sister took him back each time to his (useless) parents and got the whole "kids will be kids" and "lighten up he's just a kid" bollocks that parents like this spout.

I'm so,sick of going to places and being confronted by poor parenting. It seems,pervasive at the moment. My sisters kids were taught how to behave in public from an early age. She is even less,tolerant than me to be honest. But that day, a few months after burying our mother - who we both were estranged from and so had complicated feelings about - we needed some peace to have some difficult conversations without having to entertain some useless parents child.

I mentioned in an earlier post about the kids on the ruis ship I'm on
DH has just got in the lift to go to the cabin and there were about 5 9/10 year olds messing about pressing all the buttons.so he told them off. One of them called him a wanker
What a delightful child

Our nation's future ...

I suppose it is a risk if it is not an adults only hotel. I do, though, think that some adults appear to relinquish all responsibility for their children's behaviour in pubs, restaurants and hotels. constant shouting and screaming is not OK, in my opinion.

Yep. That's exactly the same response I've just had from Swimming Pool Dad when I remonstrated with him for letting his kid bring a whistle into a reasonably quiet private members' club.

'But he's just a kiiiiiiiid' ....

As if you needed this at an already upsetting time. this is just as inconsiderate as those douches who say 'smile love, it may never happen!' Some people are just clueless.

I'm sorry about your Mum.

And close on the heels of objection #1: 'but 's/he's just a KID', is the runner-up:

'We're on holiday!'

Translation: 'we're paying to enjoy ourselves so we'll do as we like and sod everyone else'. Holidays seem to embolden them to abdicate all pretence of common courtesy; that's if it existed to start with.

Hell is other people!

When did "just a kid" become an excuse for any manner of rude, loud, obnoxious and inconsiderate behaviour?

If "just a kid" cannot control itself, it's the job of the parents to control them. Not just let them screech, shriek, run, disrupt, make messes, etc., in public settings. Regardless of how much they've "paid to enjoy themselves."