To be hating my family holiday

[Wineplz90]

Currently away on holiday with DC 7 and Partner.
Absolutely sick and can't wait to return in three days time.
Hotel with slide and pool etc, been on trips and generally tried to do stuff they will enjoy.
All we've had is moaning and not an ounce of peace even for 5 minutes.
Won't even sleep in their own bed which is literally in touching distance from ours.
Partner has been great and we've tried to take turns doing stuff but it's still been really really hard work.
Is this very ones experience 🙄🙄🙄 I'm just disappointed I guess

I cooked a massive dinner for 13 people on our holiday and then discovered I had covid. We just left the holiday house and are heading home. I hear you on big family things being difficult!

I find kids tend to hate holidays unless they are Disney land or something like that. Beach holidays or city breaks just bore them.

We are on the “holiday of a lifetime” with my teens (13 and 15) and whilst they and DH have been amazing, the pressure to have fun and be well and with it all the time is exhausting. I am just desperate to get home.

Is your partner your dc's father?

I haven’t found this at all, mine are 10, 9 and 5 and have always loved a beach/pool holiday, and a city break. We’ve never been to Disney so I guess they’ve got nothing to compare it to. They’ll amuse themselves for hours on a rocky beach.
OP I guess at 7 on holiday he’s going to need fairly constant attention, as he’ll have no one else to play with. It’s just part and parcel of having kids. What’s the moaning about?

I don’t agree.

My kids absolutely loved their beach/pool type holidays and look back on them with more fondness than their Disney holidays.

Is there no kids club?

Not in my experience at all.

I haven't found this either. Have a large age gap between my children so eldest holidayed with us as an only child at that age. He always loved the holidays, which were beach ones with pools (no slides!) and a bit of sightseeing. Youngest, when he was about 5, moaned a bit about not liking the food and not wanting to wear sun cream, and also not wanting to walk (on a day trip where there was a lot of walking in the heat) but generally it was a positive experience. He loved the pool and beaches. If mine had moaned a lot and spoiled my holiday I would probably tell them we wouldn't go again!

What is DC moaning about, what’s actually bothering them?

My son (an only child) never went to Disney or anything similar. We did very occasionally visit a theme or water park but we certainly didn't build holidays or days out around this requirement and it was a rarity anyway. We never holidayed anywhere with kids clubs either, just not our type of scene. He amused himself playing on the beach and (as I'm a history buff) would happily visit churches, castles, museums etc. I always made it informed and interesting for him (including the journey there on "foreign" public transport) and he has inherited my love of history.

Nope, mine thoroughly enjoyed UK beach holidays and exploring new towns/cities.

I think OP meant her child is 7, not that she has 7 children.

Why?

I have one DC now, who is 8. He is absolutely brilliant when with other kids,and will easily make friends with other children when out and about but we both really struggle when it is just him. He just switches into 'bored' mode, and while I can snap him out of it, it takes energy that I don't always have. I think it (sometimes) can be, unfortunately, an only child thing. It is at least in my case, DC used to have a sibling, and does at their dad's house, so they really notice the difference when just with me and other family.

I think the change of routine and expectations that it should be wonderful can sometimes make holidays a flop.

Can you and your partner (assuming they are your ds' dad) divide and conquer? So one of you takes ds somewhere and engaged with him (behaviour will probably be better with an adult's focus being on him) while the other has some downtime, and then swap over?

I usually book the holidays with DC (8 & 5) around things they will like so family friendly, nice pool/s, kids area and spacious comfy room.
They have each other to play with which may be the difference. They will make holiday friends as well hence why the child amenities help.
To get them excited before hand I give them a choice of hotel to pick from and look at pros and cons of each.
We pack toys as well in case or boredom. They've loved all the trips we've taken, some more than others. It doesn't mean they dint occasional have a moan that such and such isn't as good as where we went before!

Go with the flow for the last few days and hope you can enjoy the break.

I've not enjoyed our holiday. Just heading back from northern Spain now. Its been hard work. DC have enjoyed the holiday but DH not due to the kids. They only want to be on phones.

Still we had some lovely days but should have gone home sooner!

I once gave mine the choice between Disneyland Paris or a holiday by a beach and they chose the beach. We never visited Disneyland at all. 🤷‍♀️

Really haven’t ever had this experience it also never gone in thinking I was going to get downtime. Lucky to have had some great holidays with our kids and they’ve never really complained.

That's absolute nonsense. Of course kids enjoy holidays that aren't Disney or theme parks. As a % of all holidays taken, these would make up a very small number, and there are kids up and down the country having great holidays.

Not all kids will like all activities/places, of course, but to say a beach holiday 'bores' kids is crackers!

It definitely can be different when you have an only, especially one like mine who is on the go for 14 hours a day. DS is 6 and we've been abroad twice - Disney and PortAventura, because I knew we'd be out all day and he'd pass out at night so we could have a glass of wine and read on the balcony! The thought of getting up at his usual 6am and having all that time to fill with just beach/pool and meals makes me want to lie down.

We took him away for a week this summer but it was to see family and friends around the country (who have kids thenselves).

I'm an only too but I was happy to read on a sunbed and go swimming by myself from about age 7.

I bet when you get back your DC will mention lots of things from the holiday that they absolutely loved - I get this with my son, we can have a day out when I’m thinking “God, why did I bother, he’s moaning about everything, I could have had a lie in, this is pants” and a few days later he’ll be reminiscing about what a great day it was, and do I remember when X or Y happened.

Today I took him swimming at the last minute and he told me it was better than Christmas and Halloween “because the best times are about spending time with family”. Because obviously at Christmas and Halloween we lock him in a cupboard and have no family time. Children are weird (much as we love them!)

Tbh at 7 I think I’d be a bit more forceful that they have to stay in their own bed. I mean it’s not a baby or toddler. We used to put ours to bed and sit on the balcony watching dvds (pre internet) and having a glass of wine. You need to carve out some down time for you or else you will return to work without having had a break at all. Holiday clubs are excellent not just for getting a break but also for your child to make friends which is I think key if they are an only one. Is there anyway in future you could take a friend for your child?

I definitely hear you! My dd refused to join the kids club so it was up to us to entertain her the whole time. She wouldn't go in the pool on her own so we had to take "shifts". At least it meant we each got some downtime and could read a bit of our books!
By day 6 I was so bored of the pool! We had thought about doing 10 days but so glad we didn't!
Ignore all the posters with their perfect children