Ungrateful Teens on Florida holiday

[WatermelonWaveclub]

I brought my 3 teens (18, 16 and 13) to Florida to celebrate my eldest's 18th. Honestly it has been a nightmare. Every morning they refuse to get up. We end up leaving for the day's activity hours late. At least one usually refuses to come. Then we end up rushing around with the youngest upset we don't have time to do everything they want. When we get home late and I just want to sleep I am expected to sort food for whoever stayed back at the hotel. Then they stay up late keeping me awake. I'm exhausted!

The main thing they seem to want to do is stay in bed on their phones! Noone seems to worry about wasting a lot of money on activities they don't attend or any thought to making the most of a holiday they are very lucky to be on! No care about me missing out on things I'd like to do or their sibling would like to do. They were fully aware of what the holiday would involve and said they would like to go on the holiday. For example they knew there would be a lot of swimming. One has point blank refused to swim and the other 2 will swim hypothetically but have not once been in the hotel pool with me in almost a week and both just layed on sunloungers on their phones at the water park yesterday.

How would you deal with this situation?

@WatermelonWaveclub I was inspired by your thread to Google places in Florida that if I were ever to go that I might find nice.
Clearwater looks lovely.
Beautiful beach (going by the pictures) and there's a nature reserve with birds of prey and a botanical garden.
I hope your grumpy (😁) teens enjoy that part of your holiday.

So when you plan family holidays you don't consult your children?

A huge list of things to tick off? I don't know what you mean by that? Nothing here is compulsory as far as I can tell? You just book what you want to do.

Yep, I'm being super selfish booking and paying for the exact holiday they wanted. How dare I pay for these expensive activities and also expect them to do them! It's their hollday too - they should be allowed to waste as much money as possible!

I assume you are a teenager!

I bet you’ve screeched that at them a few times this holiday OP!

Very stressful being at school If you took one day off you got seriously behind and never catch up at college too definitely go in summer holidays next time

Still wasting time on Mumsnet OP?

They aren’t in school.

Hang on why are you paying for your adult 18 none phone paying young person?

This is turning in to cancel the cheque!

Well they are really because school is back and they are homeschooling they better start listening to mum and get a good Job and be successful in life if they don’t listen they will end up in a orange suit in America so easy to get locked up over there and if you don’t get a good Job in uk they will lock you up for not paying your council tax and take your kids computers that they were doing their homework on you can’t win really in the game called life in America they say money talks and bullshit walks you got money you get out of jail in 5 mins no money you will sit there for months or even years the most important thing is you are a family and you got good health but a good education and career is most important you sound like a great mum just be strict with them and make them listen as you are in charge of their future

I would probably stay in Florida if I were you easy to get work and easy to get a flat it is a better life out there find a nice American

OP never took them out of school. Need to read her posts.
On another note, it depends on the child's abilities whether they can catch up after missing some time off school.

Kids prob itching to go out!

There is a lot of work every day at school and I would not want the stress of catching up

Non of the kids are at school ....

I thought the same🤣

@Thefirstdelicious

so??

Understandably, however, it affects children differently. Some can cope and catch up, others can't. It really depends on the individual child.
The OP never took her kids out of school.

@FunBiscuit the 16 and 18 year old have finished school. There is no school for them to be missing.
They are due to start college/apprenticeships apparently.
Not all college courses/apprenticeships start on September 1st 😂
My nieces started in the January when she did hers.
The youngest child is home educated. The reason is none of our beeswax.
Nobody. Is. Missing. School.
🙄🙄🙄🙄

Really? I expected mine to pay for phone from their part time earnings. So from 16.

No excuses for not having a job at all until at least 21 after uni

My 23 year old is still on my phone plan. She is a recent university graduate still getting herself situated in life and I don't mind helping out. When she was 18 she certainly wouldn't have the funds to pay for her own phone!

Well they probably should be in college then because it is 13 th September

Sorry OP but this thread just keeps giving and giving

College does start when kids go back to school I spent years in college

Depends on the course.
Especially if it's linked to an apprenticeship.