CHILDREN HAVE NEVER HAD A HOLIDAY! MASSIVE GUILT!

[Una22]

I have recently been speaking to a friend who says my children have never had a proper holiday. They are 4 and 11. Most years we go away for at least 4 nights to a caravan park and she states she feels sorry for them as 4 nights away is not a holiday! My eldest does not want to go on a plane and I would not like to force him (he is autistic) plus he loves going to the caravan parks. I feel dreadful now as I feel now my kids have never had a holiday! We are saving towards a deposit for a house and I just feel that needs to take priority instead of spending loads of money on holiday which my children probably wouldnt enjoy. We also have our Mother in laws caravan that we stay in on a regular basis but again thats not a holiday! Was just looking for some honest opinions I feel like I am failing them. We are always doing various things with them but we just dont have lots of money.

I voted YANBU: saving is important and you are having the holidays your family enjoy. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the YABU votes are because you seemed to be so bothered about what this “friend thinks”, so I’d read the replies rather than just looking at the %

Of course it’s a holiday. Ignore the so called friend, your kids are happy, you’re working towards longer term goals, it’s all good. You’re a good mum so don’t be feeling guilty 💐

You have holidays that work for you and your family, she’s talking crap.

My family holidays as a child were always train journeys to somewhere we could stay for free, like a friends cottage in a little village, or staying with people my parents knew in various places in England and Wales and Paris. I have great memories and loved those trips.

100%

Of course a trip to a holiday park or the family caravan is a holiday. There are all sorts of different ways to holiday, which suit all sorts of different people.

My best friend loves a nice all inclusive resort with a bar and a pool and evening entertainment. She lies by the pool happy as a clam for 10 days.

Which is lovely for her, but would absolutely bore me to tears. She thinks my idea of spending my hols in self catering accommodation visiting historical sites, museums and art galleries sounds like miserable torture 😆

But my way is not “better” than hers or yours or anyone else’s!

Holidays are for spending time with your family in any way that makes you all happy and suits your budget.

Keep the holidays, dump the friend.

You're friend is trying to make you feel bad, for reasons unknown. Mark her card and take what she's says with a pinch of salt. You are taking your DC on lovely regular trips away for fresh air and a change of scenery in a way that works for them and that they love. Seriously, how could that be anything to criticise?

Your friend has an opinion. You still have the right and the choice whether you allow it to cross your personal boundaries.

You need new friends.

The friend sounds weird - of course they have been on holiday! Caravans are in holiday parks - they are called this for a reason

Woah they have had a holiday , your friends wrong. Caravan holidays are the best and my kids pick them over anything! Stop the guilt, you give them lovely memories in a place where your eldest doesn’t have to be stressed out. I’d be keeping that friend under a close eye, why would she say that to you?

Some of my children's favourite memories are the holidays where we were camping etc. a holiday is a holiday no matter how you get there, where you go, what you stay in.

If she doesn't think that's a holiday....then she doesn't have to take her kids there does she. What an odd comment from a "friend"

Mother in law’s caravan is a holiday. A holiday is a break from everyday life in a place where you can relax and be together . It is not spending £4k for everyone to get sunburnt and stressed out. I think she’s jealous or threatened by you?

Caravan holidays are the best! What your ‘friend’ is expressing is snobbery…. Kids absolutely love them.

if I took your friends definition then my child has never had a holiday either, but if you ask my child I am sure she will give a different answer and happily tell you how amazing her trips are!

ignore said ‘friend’

Your friend is a bitch. I’m in my 40s and was talking to my colleagues about this the other day. All of us holidayed at caravan parks in Devon and Cornwall as kids. Many of us said our first foreign holiday was with mates at age 18 to the likes of Tenerife, Magaluf.

All of us feel the pressure to take our kids on lovely expensive holidays and admittedly most of us are going away on lovely holidays this summer.

But we all said we loved our holidays as children and none of our kids today appreciate the posh hotels, they just want time with their Mum and Dad, whether that’s crabbing in the pissing down rain in Padstow, or living it up in Mykonos. They don’t care. They’ll want ice cream and crap souvenirs.

They’ll have a great time in the Caravan and will look back with fond memories.

I love a four day holiday, it’s perfect and I’ve done that locally while DC has been little.

Saying that, he’s now an tween and we’re going abroad for the first time for 10 nights this year. He’s at an age to really enjoy that, understand where we’re going, plan some sightseeing with me etc.

Ignore your friend and do whatever works for you!

Not sure if I used your vote in the right way but your kids do have a holiday which they enjoy.

Pretty sure I've voted the wrong way, but I voted YABU to think that and to let what your friend said get to you. You should only do what suits your family, not what other people consider the norm!

Your friend is a snob. Nothing wrong with a caravan holiday, infact I love them !!

My nan had a caravan and every summer she would take various combinations of grandchildren away for holidays. We always got two holidays a year with her and assorted cousins (lots of us). They were great and your friend is an idiot.

Eh? They've had nice holidays - that they enjoy. You're prioritising saving money for a house over an instagrammy #makingmemories break that would stress them out. It's all good.

Time your ‘friend’ kept her unwelcome comments to herself. Who does she think she is preaching this nonsense.

Ours still talk about two nights in a caravan park in the same county they lived in as a great holiday they remember. It's about being together in a different place, relaxing of some of your routines, doing whatever you feel you want to do that day together. That's a holiday.

Sounds like your kids are happy and enjoy the holidays they are having.

Everyone has their own ideas about the right sort of holiday - but what works for one person would not work for everyone.

Clearly many people on here love cruising and/or AI. Personally I can’t think of anything worse. And my idea of the ideal holiday definitely would not work for them!

ignore your friend.

Children love caravan holidays! My DD has been on plenty of abroad trips but they’re much more for our benefit than hers, her favourite holidays are always the UK breaks.

Absolutely it's a holiday!

I have friends who every year go to a butlins/pontins type park with the extended family, cheap and everyone enjoys themselves. For their grandparents big anniversary everyone saved up and went to the Dominican Republic, cost an absolute fortune. The entire time all the children kept asking when they were going to get to the 'real' holiday (butlins) and begged for butlins the following year. If it works for you then what could be a better holiday!