It's a holiday and the usual rules don't apply?

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Inspired by the other thread - if you are on holiday, do the usual rules not apply when it comes to food, screens, activities?

I grew up in Europe where our summer holidays were three months long and I was shipped to the coast for all of them. So usual rules certainly did apply, I had to do my summer homework, not go crazy on the treats etc. Currently on holiday with friends and we really don't go all crazy. In fact, just realised my kids haven't had an ice cream in all this time and we've been here a week

So are you a no rules apply family? Or do you still stick to routines? Is it a class thing in england?

We relax some rules, probably a few more treats whilst we are on holiday, maybe a bit more screen time on some days, the odd late night but generally we try and stick to some kind of routine. I don't want my dc eating junk all day and going to bed late. They wouldn't cope.

It's not all or nothing.
The kids probably eat a bit more sugar, go to bed later, but it's not a frenzy of excess. Holidays tend to be a week though. No one would allow that for 3 months.

I can’t think of any ‘rules’ we have, we tend to have everything in moderation. But, our child is 3 so they can’t just help themselves to things or buy things with their own money. Using your example, they had ice cream or sorbet about 4 times in 2wks.

I have teenagers and it's definitely more relaxed.
Have your children been asking for ice-cream? I can't imagine not giving it to them if so.

Very few rules on hols. Eat/drink what you want.

If we are actually away on holiday then it’s anything goes (except bedtime by 10:30), but if it’s just school holidays then we keep bedtime more or less.

But we are more or less no rules people/family anyway- bedtime is just about the only thing I enforce.

We’re more relaxed but not no rules at all. I saw the other post where the husband was annoyed the child had 2 ice creams which is hardly going crazy. We relax rules about soft drinks on holiday but sweet treats we don’t go crazy because that leads to mine getting overly wound up, same with staying up late.

As above, some ‘rules’ are more relaxed like bedtimes and ice creams etc. We are screen free anyway so that still stands (kids are only 5 and 7 so too young for screen).

Usual rules re politeness, asking for things nicely, behaving at meal times, etc all apply, but mine are 12 and nearly 11 and wouldn't need prompting for all of that anyway. Ice creams/drinks are unlimited as we always go AI, but don't tend to buy sweets/crisps, and they're in the pool all day so plenty of burning off the extra calories.
Bed times tend to be 11ish, we all go to bed together.
We only go for a week, but pretty regularly, so they're well versed in holiday expectations!

We're totally no rules on holiday. My seven year old is allowed to smoke cigarettes or a pipe (which she prefers!), drink up to 5 units of alcohol a day, she can eff and jeff as much as she likes, and eat absolutely anything at all. Go off by herself, no problem. No bedtime rules, she can stay up all night if she likes. Plus me and hubby can do what we like too (that waiter...mmmm...).

I live in a holiday destination. Can confirm popular ones include not using pavements and parking on double yellows 😅

Holidays are free for all here. I consider it a necessity for well being. I was raised the same.

Some of my most happy memories were my grandad popping a bar of chocolate beside my OJ in the morning for breakfast. We also were allowed two PJ days and had two backwards days, supper for breakfast, breakfast for supper etc.

We're on a UK holiday. Lots of ice creams, later nights, some reading practice, less TV as out more, nothing massively different.

Being away three months is a bit different. We got home Wednesday night from being away for 9 days and no the usual rules don't apply for us. My children who were with us are 11 and 15, eldest doesn't come now, they can eat and drink what they like and we go to bed later and they get up when they are ready.

I only ever had rules that related to health and safety and not causing a nuisance to other people. Those things mattered as much on holiday as when not, so couldn't be relaxed. For example, if I thought chocolate for breakfast every day wasn't a good idea for health, I wouldn't change my mind because it wasn't a school day. I'm English and working class if that helps.

Rules do not apply, and if abroad smoking is ‘ok’ as long as you hide from the kids! 😎

Mine are teens so it's pretty much a free-for-all.

Mine were always quite good at self-regulation with ice creams and stuff like that when they were little, and quite amenable to a 'no', but yes we were a bit more strict when they were little.

Most of us don't get 3 months holidays sk for the one week we get in Spain or similar, we day drink, the kids get extra screen time and ice creams.

When I was growing up, rules were definitely relaxed but it wasn't a free for all.

So, later bedtimes, more screen time and probably more treats, but equally I still had to keep my room tidy, wash the dishes and stay fairly active.

I'm sure some people will disagree but I think lots of child thrive on some kind of routine, and throwing it all up in the air for six weeks can cause issues when schools go back and they're expected to go back to normal overnight.

Rules are definitely relaxed on holidays. No restrictions on ice-cream or other treat food, but we do encourage fruit to keep things moving. Once home they return to the usual diet without issue.

Screen time we're pretty strict on at home. The plane is the only place 4yo has had a tablet, and same for the 6yo except for apps recommended by school. But on holidays they'll get TV daily while we're in the room.

Bedtimes relaxed too, but mine will sleep late if they're up late so that's a positive for all of us.

Likewise, I'll have a few drinks throughout the day and evening, and have an ice-cream in the afternoon and often dessert after dinner too. It's a holiday and we're all more relaxed.

(Irish middle class, if you're looking to categorise.)

We have similar rules to normal but we don't have strict routines anyway. For example bedtime is always fluid depending on how tired everyone is.

If anything I've found dd "needs" fewer sweet treats on holiday because she's having more fun. You don't need an ice lolly to cool down when you can just jump into a pool!

Oh, I was referring to being on holiday. For the school summer holidays (two months here), rules around screen time and food relax very slightly but only a little - wouldn't remove them for two months obviously.

The only exception is flights and long car journeys. We do whatever we need to do to get through it, throw money and treats at the situation. Eg those £6.99 kids' magazines, "unlimited" Netflix Kids time.

No ice-cream for a week on holiday sounds a bit sad to me, I have to say. Having a few dotted throughout the holiday isn't going mad in my opinion.

We won't "go crazy" although we will eat out more, the kids will have an ice cream most days and bedtimes may be slightly later. We all want to enjoy ourselves and will do whatever results in a fun, memorable holiday.

The rest of the summer break from school involves kids camps and grandparents. Some normality and some fun.

We never really had food rules when DS was small. We had sensible things like try everything you are offered at mealtimes, one of each thing fir snacks (one of each type of fruit, one yogurt, one biscuit or cake, one packet of crisps, etc)
Fizzy pop was a weekend or meal out treat, but fill your boots on AI holidays, same with ice cream and desserts and snacks (at home, we have Magnum type and ice pops in the freezer)

Holidays are fun, so yes, we all eat and drink very differently than at home, but rules around food are not my thing.

He's 16 now, and I have little idea what he eats in the day when I'm at work. I do know they went to Greggs yesterday