Just arrived on holiday with sisters kids

[EllyRoff]

They’re driving me insane already. I’ve never known kids so messy. Within 5 minutes of being here a full glass of juice was spilt over the sofa. They wander around with their dinner plates gravy spilling everywhere, potatoes falling onto the floor and getting trod on, squished into the carpet - the place looked like a disaster zone by the first evening.
yesterday morning they had cocopops for breakfast, one whole bowl got knocked off the table onto the floor, chocolate milk everywhere. Sister completely unbothered by it, just scrubbed it with her foot. One of them then got a yogurt out, ripped the lid off - yogurt splattered up their clothes. Lid chucked on floor (naturally landing face down on carpet). She then spun around resulting in yogurt going flying everywhere, all over the sofa and up the glass of the patio doors.

We went to a nature park, everything was pristine, Nephew got a milkshake, it ended up all over the table, all over his hands and face and then when he went to put the carton in the bin he somehow managed to get milkshake all down the front of the bin.

its driving me insane and I have another week of this. I’ve banned them from my bedroom after they trod mud all over my white duvet.

sister thinks I’m being uptight so there is already tension but I’m starting to feel myself feeling really frustrated with the kids. There is no respect for anything.

That's beyond lazy parenting, they're feral!

I wouldn't put up with them for another week - I have kids, I have even less patience for lazy parents, because I know you just need to get off your lazy arse and actually parent. It's not difficult.

Are you sure you can put up with another week? It sounds like hell

But you must have known the kids beforehand and if not why on earth go on holidays with them in the first place

Not much you can do now if she is too lazy to stop them or clean up after them

They sound quick sweet really 😂. Running outside excited to see a raven. It would take a lot more than that to do it for my older one.

Not housetrained but sweet. A bit like overgrown puppies. I'd get a whistle, blow it every time food leaves the table and wait for them to grow into themselves.

How old are the children? Why is their mother not supervising them? Does she not realise that these children are at risk of choking by wandering around whilst eating!
This post is one of the main reasons why I would never go to a holiday camp. Who the fuck rubs spilled food into the carpet with their feet? How irresponsible and inconsiderate!

I have two messy and clumsy children. The one with dyspraxia is a neater diner than the one without!
Eating takes place at the table unless we have special dispensation for a TV dinner which involves trays and cloths on standby.
DS can get overwhelmed at the table in an unfamiliar place and occasionally gets down to sit on the floor or under the table. That would also involve a cloth on standby.
Any spills are wiped up (by the spiller if possible - I imagine these DCs are younger than mine).
It is possible to keep the place tidy while still allowing kids to be a bit random.

Having said that, I think YABU to expect no spillage. Eating out and spilling a milkshake is par for the course, and who expects the bin to remain pristine? Just get some napkins to wipe up the child/table/bin.

If I were in any way responsible for the state of the accommodation, I would insist on three rule:
All food consumed at a table with adult supervision.
Shoes off inside.
Hands washed after eating, toilet, and out door play.

You could leave, Op. And suggest that your sister extends a kind donation for extra cleaning to the owners.
You must not be able to relax at all.

How old are the kids?
sounds like lazy parenting on your sister’s part BUT presumably they are always like this so perhaps you were a bit U to agree to go in the first place (looking at it from your sister’s pov)
but yeah it all sounds grim and i couldn’t hack it. Do you have kids yourself? Kids can be very messy. But this lot sound feral.

I feel stressed just reading this! I don’t understand why parents don’t enforce that food needs to be eaten at the table. From toddlers I always made mine sit for meals and snacks. I remember watching a women chase a toddler round the playground spooning a petit filous into their gob as they went down the slide! I swore I would never do that. My child with SEN spills a lot but that’s why we use cups with lids and sit at a table. It’s not that hard. Your sister needs to get it together.

If it wasn’t my name on the booking id be leaving. If it wasn’t my name id become the works strictest aunty really fast.

Even if that meant I was carrying their plates to the table. Half the amount of gravy so they can’t be spilling over the edges. Yoghurts opened for them like little toddlers. Want food? Your butt is at that table. You get up? Food stays put.

No ifs or butts no pouting. If mummy doesn’t like it she can parent her messy kids.

I have lost count of the number of times the op has been asked how old the children are. A simple question but she refuses to answer. What a waste of space! Why come on here to moan in the first place if you are not prepared to enter into a conversation? A typical case of ‘light the touchpaper and stand back’!
People like this infuriate me!

Poor kids

Lazy parenting.

Your sister sounds like a scruff.

I'd be heading home or find a hotel nearby. Having owned a holiday rental I can tell you that whoever booked the place may be charged for additional cleaning or replacement if things get broken/damaged.

She insisted, we're still very good friends but in future we know to get a hotel when we visit Germany to see her. Everyone is different, we have family abroad that live in Spain and they are very different. The fuller the house the better and everyone steps in to help.

So I think I'd insist on lidded drink containers and maybe less messy foods like picnic foods and stuff that can be eaten easily. Do you have children? I only ask because I can see how it would irritate you more if you haven't had kids of your own. I wouldn't be getting annoyed if they are very young and perhaps a bit clumsy re the breakfast cereal incident. Just make life easier for you all by adapting holiday food and don't come down on kids when it's a genuine accident. Maybe your sister is struggling as well.

@EllyRoff I and others have questions;

How old are the DC?
Whose name is the chalet booked in?
Did you not know the dc were like this?
If you did, why go on the holiday? If not, why holiday with someone you know so little?
Do you have dc and are yours with you?

I agree that the behaviour described is quite unacceptable, especially in a holiday home, and I would be leaving as long as it wasn’t booked on my name.

yeh, I’d be annoyed, the title suggested you might be unrealistic with expectations of little ones but your sister isn’t installing any values.

OP I have 3 kids myself and Jesus this post gave me the worst anxiety ever lol! Why are they acting like animals? Don't get me wrong weve had dropped food/split drinks it's unavoidable but the stupid amount of carelessness or clumsiness I would have exploded by now. All I can say is thank God it's in a caravan/lodge whatever because when I first read it I thought it was your house! So it could be so much worse!

Well she got what she wanted, didn’t she? Everyone huffing and puffing over terrible parenting and what a hovel the sister’s house must be.

Once went on holiday with a friend and her family. Every mealtime was like a chimps tea party, food everywhere, standing on chairs, spilt drinks etc etc. It was so embarrassing when we ate out. Tolerated it for two years and couldn’t do it again.
Table manners is the hill I will die on as a parent. If my children cannot eat nicely in company, I have failed as a parent.

Sorry I’m not sitting on my phone 24/7

the kids are 4 and 6

I knew they were scruffy at home but I honestly expected sister to be more respectful of other peoples property but she doesn’t even seem to see it.

its booked in her name

Well you don't need to worry then, she will be charged a cleaning fee

At least it is booked in her name (& card hopefully). Any damage, cleaning charges, retention of deposit will be her problem and may wake her up. Leave them to their ways ....but does sound stressful.
Edit for spelling

Fuck it then. If she can’t make her children eat properly (my youngest is 4, she sits at the table for food and snacks, because of course, she would probably spill things if I let her walk around eating), she can pay the cleaning fee.

Not nice for you though, it would drive me up the wall.

What’s wrong with eating outside? Mine love a bit of Al Fresco dining? The yoghurt just sounds accidental and tbf some of them are bloody hard to open without it making a mess.

some kids are also just clumsier than others and struggle to sit still. My daughter is one of the clumsiest kids I know, nothing to do with being a slob or lazy parenting!

struggling to see why you bothered going away with them in the first place?

I think you’re being a little harsh. Sounds like my kids tbh who are also 4&6 🫣
but thankfully I haven’t just been on holiday with my sister so this can’t be about us!
keep reminding the kids yoghurt lids go straight in the bin/ food at the table only etc (I know it’s not your job but their mum is probably tired from having this at home 24/7 so I think a little help would be kind)
encourage them to clean up their own spills (this is what I do)
mine are both (well 1 confirmed 1 on the waiting list) ASD/adhd and are a little impulsive and don’t always slow down to think about spills etc not that this is the case here I’m just saying.
The kids will be more excited than usual as they are on holiday which won’t be helping too. Also maybe try to minimise it by careful planning of snacks, I cringed when you said one of them had a milkshake while out, that’s always gonna lead to mess