AIBU to ask that people stop asking kids if they’ve ’been away’ or ‘done anything exciting’ during the school holidays?

[Chubbymummyof2]

It’s the last day of our half-term holiday today and it’s been a week at home, partly because we’ve all had germs but also because everything costs SO much at the moment we haven’t got spare money to go on holiday or have exciting days out.
My daughter (12) had an eye test mid week and I know that the optician was only trying to make small talk but both me and my daughter felt pretty uncomfortable with the ‘have you been away’, ‘what exciting things have you done this week’ questions she just wouldn’t let it drop that we’d had a week at home. (It didn’t help that the optician had the worst listening skills ever and repeated every single question multiple times).
I wish that people could be a bit more mindful of that fact that not many people have much of a disposable income at the moment and that holidays/days out are a treat and they shouldn’t expect that just because kids are on half-term it means their parents have endless exciting (usually expensive) things planned.

Can we normalise holidays spent at home?

AIBU - am I being over sensitive, it was just small talk
YANBU - small talk doesn’t have to be about activities that require disposable income

Totally agree

What is the kid actually supposed to say

Yes, this.

Admittedly my DC are a few years younger, but none of the things we did in half-term cost much. We had one day out at a local country park, one day at a local beach, another at a castle that we have a yearly ticket to, DH took them to his parents one day, another day we met their cousins (including a teenager) for a woodland walk.

They would (and did) refer to some of those as 'so much fun'.

Bog standard question, loads of my kids asked me today if I’d had a nice holiday, I asked them back. 🤷‍♀️It’s standard. Nothing to be ashamed of if you didn’t go somewhere hugely exotic or were unwell. Bit ridiculous to tell people to stop asking, it’s just a polite conversation, nobody really wants to hear what you did.

Reports of violence can be reported to SS or the police, with the families receiving support or the DCs being removed as a result depending on the severity. Not being fed would be a report to SS too, but also ensuring that DC just happens to get the more generously plated school lunch every day in the meantime. Neglect can be alleviated by quietly supplying the DC with things like toothbrushes or discretely washing dirty uniform/clothes in school.
Are you honestly saying it's better not to know? A don't ask/don't tell policy?