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?

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

Wish I could afford a holiday I have been working 12 hour night shifts all year then I take 2 weeks holiday and they took my holiday pay in tax so no Greece holiday this year

They probably all got adhd get a lot of money for that in our days a cane sorted us all out not money

Why are you only entitled to 2 weeks annual leave?
I thought at least 28 days was standard.
Are you in a union?
You better talk to them.

@FunBiscuit why don't you just leave this thread.
You clearly aren't interested.

I get 5 weeks but company shuts in January 1 week then I use odd days I took 2 weeks they took £600 in tax it is a waste of time working overtime or 2 Jobs because they will take the money in tax which is wrong because a lot of people can not survive I know a couple with kids both work full time had to put food on credit cards this month

These kids! Some kids get a week in a caravan in Skegness and it rains all week. Some don’t even get that. They absolutely should be more appreciative.

It's only a waste of money if you're already earning megabucks. Most people pay a standard rate of tax but even then overtime is always worth it.

I really feel for you OP. It isn’t that hard to read the post, realise no one missing school, all the kids wanted this holiday etc. you can’t take away a phone from an 18 yr old. He’s an adult. You shouldn’t take away from a 16 yr old, they need to make sensible choices. But it is SO tough. If it’s any consolation especially against those carping away here I have 4 dc, there is 10 years between oldest and youngest, we haven’t been to Florida but been to Disney Paris roughly every 4 years for last 12 yrs. they all chose it, wanted it etc, oldest now 27. They all enjoy it, on what basis do people say it’s too young for them? The type of rides they like have changed a bit, but those daft cars you drive still a favourite. I would have the meeting many suggest go light on the ‘this is how much it cost’ as that type of guilt takes a bit more maturity, go heavy on the ‘your youngest sibling needs you’ guilt. That more likely to work I reckon. Otherwise go out with youngest on own if others won’t gone and spoil him rotten. FOMO is your friend, don’t be limited by their reactions and make it a time for you and him to remember. Good luck.

Obviously everyone has different opinions in life I cashed in my pension got taxed 40 percent we don’t need to keep raising taxes we need everyone working higher taxes are shutting businesses

What on earth brought that on, FunBscuit? It seems quite uncalled for.

There is something so sweet about this. 4 pianos 😂

I’d be gutted and cross too OP but I’m sure the “leave them to it and have a great time with your 13 yo” advice is correct.

Nowhere in the post does it say anything about school. Not sure where you got that from - unless it’s in a later reply, but there are about a bazillion replies on this, so people are very reasonably not going to read every single one before responding!

Ermm..... about a billion people were going on about them "missing school".
I was pointing out that several times the OP stated her children were not missing any school - yet people still kept going on and on about it.
It was irrelevant to the OPs issues and so frustrating that people kept bringing it up over and ruddy over.
I'm not quite sure why you felt my comment needed quoting 🤔

My best holiday was Disney, I was 22, ok a little older but I was a young 22, everyone is different and id still love to go again
I think your being a great mum whose just trying to make everyone happy and I hope you know that your making memories. These will be cherished.
The bad comments are from people who just wish they could have this holiday.
just try not to worry, try and relax

I never go on holiday can not afford it I work full time but by the time I pay the bills no money left but at least I have a roof over my head food I lived in USA 20 years when we lived in Florida my son was a member of the solar bears hockey team he won a lot of competitions skateboarding had to start daycare at 8 weeks no benefits in USA work or live on the street but living in Orlando Florida we were never bored you can do anything you want to do there it is a amazing place

£7.60 a month my DS pays

Disney

Because it was where my 18yo wanted to go.

Turns out…. He didn’t. He had an idea of what it was going to be and now he’s arrived… he just wants to sit in the hotel and be on his phone. It is fine to be disappointed. But he should at least slap on a smile and try.

Sadly it he looks like he has reached 18, so an adult, and he can’t even muster the effort despite it clearly meaning a great deal to his younger sister and mother. Not a great sign.

I mean…. wtf??

Well, it clearly isn't "just what they like", because according to your OP, they've had zero interest in this holiday!

Equally unsure why you quoted mine? It also doesn't seem like you engaged with what I said?

I'm aware a number of of people were mentioning missing school; I was one of them. I quoted you because you were saying you didn't understand why and implying we had missed something incredibly obvious. In response, I noted that the original post says precisely nothing about school or the lack thereof. Without that information, it's quite reasonable for people to wonder why a bunch of teenagers are on holiday in Florida in mid-September.

I could only assume the school question is addressed in a response somewhere, but as I said in my first message, given the number of comments on this thread, most people are obviously not going to read them all before responding, so implying we're somehow all being wildly dumb and frustrating is a bit of an overreaction.

I was dragged to Florida ages 12 by my foster parents as foster mum wanted to go to Disney world. I was bored out of my frigging mind and kept getting hit on by the local teen lads.
And being a fair skinned redhead, I got terrible sunburn. I mostly stayed in the kids club at the hotel playing the free arcade machines and playing pool. Foster mum enjoyed herself up untill she got mugged.
Worst holiday ever. We went to Dorset the next year and it was much more fun!
Teens wanna teen - don't waste money on expensive holidays if they don't want to engage.
And never holiday in Florida ... or America ... ever ... especially with that 🦧 in the fecking whitehouse ... 🤬

@Ella3895 I put that post because people were STILL going on about it despite the OP repeatedly saying it wasn't an issue.
She never said it originally so people questioned it. Ok that's fine but she replied several times that none are in school so not missing any.
But yet poster after poster still kept saying "why aren't they in school?".
My post was a light-hearted one about people clearly not reading the thread.
🙂

Yes, only parent

So they’ll have known that all this would have paid by by you. I too am a single parent and although my teens are no saints, they know how everything is on me and they appreciate it