To think holidays with teens/preteens are just rubbish

[ExtrovertedIntrovert1]

Paid a fortune because it's summer holidays.
UK holiday because they both weren't keen on the idea of abroad and it was too expensive anyway.
Everything is "boring".
Tried visiting towns looking round shops. Boring.
Theme parks? No, boring.
Beach? Pointless
Castles or things of historical interest (Ha, absolutely ridiculously boring)
Museums? Haha
Every time we attempt at outing it's just miserable faces then the oldest will eventually pipe up "can we go back to the caravan".... so we can just sit around, on phones, doodling, etc. Basically stuff they would be doing at home.

I know this is probably within the realms of normal, but it's so pointless and boring. Spent a fortune and time/effort researching things that might be fun to do but it's just a waste of time. I even ended up suggesting that I'll just holiday on my own next year but in reality that won't happen. Does anyone do that? I love holidays, beaches, visiting different places. It's depressing to think holidays won't be fun again until they're old enough to leave at home.

Pointless thread but just needed to vent.
Please don't reply if your preteens/teens just LOVE holidaying and you always have a tonne of fun. I don't want to hear it 😂

Next year, try a holiday alone to meet your needs. I do that in an adults only hotel so no kids to remind me of mine! 4 nights in a hotel with pool/entertainment and inclusive food etc. It is such a relaxing break. I read, spend time in the spa, get a massage and tinker on my phone/ipad. I might do a week next year.

Hope you have an amazing time 😁

We've got a beautiful beach on our doorstep and granted it is ridiculously hot at the moment yet both DC want to stay in their rooms in the dark on their phones all day. They might as well be at home!

With my DCs it was a two year phase - then they went back to being sociable and wanting to get out and about.
Yes, revise expectations. Being able to order room service and eat in the room was a massive highlight to mine and they talk of it fondly. I sat in the balcony, drank wine and read my book.

I would ask them for suggestions or give a couple of options to choose from. I would probably also bribe with the promise of ice cream or something. I'd also make sure they knew what the plan for the day was and when we would be going back to the accommodation. If they still complained about being bored I would give them short shrift and I know dh would too - we're not expecting them to skip joyfully around but would expect basic manners and not making a fuss.

Just keep taking the photos their miserable faces.

I guarantee you (as a mum of 2 in their 20’s), that they will bring their partners back later in life, and we will all have a laugh about it.

They do get nice again op, I promise! Once they are old enough to drink alcohol they cheer up no end 🤣

Argh, you are all making me nervous. I am about to go away with a 14 year old, 2 19 year olds and a 22 year old. They are all excited at the moment about spending time in the pool so I hope it's ok. Especially as I gave them the choice whether to come or not

@ExtrovertedIntrovert1

Thank you. I'm so excited!

Dd 12 will do one activity for maybe an hour a day and then feels she’s done her bit and wants to spend the rest of the time on her phone. We always ask her where she’d like to go on holiday, The answer is always somewhere hot with a pool. Which she then barely goes in. Just wants to sit by it on her phone,
She is unbelievably privileged as we both earn a good income and stay somewhere nice etc.

We have done European city breaks - boring apparently.

Dp is happy to just sit by the pool killing time before the next meal. We used to do great hiking holidays together but he’s become apathetic.

i spent 20 years having amazing holidays before I had dd. I never did a beach holiday as the hot weather/sun/water gives me eczema. None of my friends wanted to do beach hols either. I had no idea how mind numbingly tedious beach holidays could be.

When dd was younger, the magic of a young child being thrilled with sandcastles etc was lovely, I didn’t mind being bored as it was so lovely. Since dd his puberty aged 9, everything is boring and childish.

I take myself off for walks, take local buses to towns etc. But I resent the money I’m spending and the annual leave from work I’m wasting.

I can’t wait till dd is old enough to leave home alone and I can start to enjoy holidays again.

I’ve got 16 and 13 year olds. They love our family holidays. Always self cater due to cost and preference. Just returned from Eurocamp in Brittany and had an amazing time. I guess we’re lucky they are nerds like their parents who are interested in all sorts and are happy at the beach. They always get consulted about location, days out, food etc. DD1 is autistic so we have to be mindful of not overdoing it, checking she isn’t overwhelmed. She appreciates that we always do this. They aren’t perfect kids and we have our fair share of challenges but holidays are always an escape from it.

They are always ready to get home to their friends though which is normal and as it should be at their ages.

I took my two boys on an adventure holiday in Italy one year where we stayed on an agriturismo, so had individual apartments but ate together. I think it was run by Intrepid or Explore, or one of those type of companies. There were about 3 or 4 other families with kids ranging from about 9/10 up to about 15.
We were taken on excursions to do kayaking, bike rides, a walk along the Cinque Terre path, a day at a Go Ape type place etc.
It was nice for them to have other kids to knock about with and nice for me (as a single parent) to have other adults to talk to. This was before phones were common so I never had to compete with them!

Fortunately I think your older ones will be out the other side of this teenage twattery and the 14 year old will therefore follow suit. God speed! If all else fails, book, ear plugs, wine.,

When ds is a bit older and in this stage he'll have devices taken away and consequences if any negative attitude starts spoiling the holiday.

Bored? Tell me why we'll try and sort it.
Just sullen for the sake of it?
Fuck off its my holiday too and cost a lot of money so liven up.

Love the phrase teenage twattery 😂

And to the person who suggested taking photos of their miserable faces... I have lots of those to fondly look back on 😂

It is not you - it is them. You can be the most creative person in the world, but if they are not into it, you won't change it - so don't bother to try and save your pain, effort and money!

Holidays that worked for us at pre teen and teen (up to 18)

Skiing and winter sports - and Lapland, with skidoos and reindeers. They genuinely loved it
Holidays with their friends
Seal and whale watching (UK and other places)
Watersports holiday in Croatia
Scotland! Edinburgh and Harry Potter train
London is always a hit
Barcelona was also very fun

European City breaks are good!

Mine need a pool or sports activities on site. If on a uk break i would be looking at trampoline parks, bowling, crazy golf for activities maybe a hill walk if not too long.

Understand your frustration though.

I got around the phone thing when I realised DD had forgotten to pack her phone charger even though I reminded her….. so no phone for a week! Bit of a grump whe she realised on evening 1 but other than that’s she’s actually been relatively OK to deal with. She comes out with us (sometimes with bad grace but I just ignore ignore ignore) and she usually cheers up pretty quickly.

for some reason though she won’t put on a jumper, but complains she is cold. (We’re in Cornwall near the sea) and won’t go into the sea At All…..

I have informed all of mine that there will be no more holidays unless they all agree there's something they want to do (within a reasonable budget) work it out and then let me know. Unsurprisingly they were just fine with none, they'd just rather not right now and I'd rather not waste the money tbh.

Come on guys. Don’t you remember being that age? Hanging out with your parents is the least fun thing to do, ever.

Spoken with the true confidence of someone without teens 😂😂.

AI is the way to go. You can all do your own thing and you don't have to worry about providing food for them.

Maybe it is something to do with the life ouo children lead and that being active, focused, interested and part of a ‘team’ isn't something that's happening generally.
Holidays are then a shock.

I say that because over the last couple of days, in here, I've seen similar holiday posts about the struggles with 2 year olds, 3 year olds, 5 year olds, teens and now this about preteens and teens.

What is going on?

So annoying! I remember taking my then 15 year old to Florida , organised a day at Cape Kennedy - this was so lame / boring. I was fuming.
He just wanted to be in the villa chatting to his mates online.
I'm going America later this year and at 24 he's put out that he's not invited 🙄

My mum has a hilarious photo of the four of us siblings as teens in some hilltop Tuscan village in the 90s. We are sitting on a set of stone steps just looking absolutely bored shitless. I'd love a hilltop Tuscan village now.

I think most of us have tried that. Teens don't always respond to consequences in the same way that younger children do. In fact, they can make things worse!
There's a lot of cajoling along and picking battles. And waiting for the moods to pass!
I never appreciated how easy it was when they were young.