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?

Bet they've put lots of photos on Insta of themselves pouting on that beautiful beach for the likes, and made it look like they've been up to all sorts. If only their friends knew the reality.....😆

My sister was the same at that age. I was wanting to be out exploring. Not necessarily early in the morning, but very definitely out and about! I remember my mum and dad and I going out to a few lovely towns in France on the border with Spain, and my sister refused to come. She sat in her basement bedroom pining over her boyfriend at home and writing him love letters (pre mobile phones), which she didn't send. The boyfriend didn't last and I wonder what her memories are of that holiday.

To be fair, she's still often like that now on her own holidays. Is quite happy to sit on a sunlounger for hours.

I agree with this. My guess is that the 18yo and the 16yo don't appreciate a structured break and would rather do their own thing on their own terms, getting up late, screen time and chilling etc. The 13yo may appreciate the structured activities more possibly.

No im not dense thank you, live a little you freak. I plan on doing the same with my children - you gonna cry about that too?

The mistake you made was booking a hotel instead of a villa. You can't expect a good holiday in one and others pockets 24/7.

If they're enjoying their holiday then good on them.

I've got a 19 year old. We asked him what his favourite holiday ever was, convinced that he'd pick one of our 2 US family road trips. What was his answer? His trip to Malaga after his A-levels last year with his mates. It wasn't even a Shagaluf type holiday, they're not that kind of lads, and one of them had taken his girlfriend anyway (who they all knew from school). He said "the airbnb was epic - it had 4 pianos". None of them even play the piano. 😂

Honestly, they're just weird, teens and young adults....

I'd just go off with the youngest and try to make the most of it, I think.

The other 2 would never get a holiday out of me again. No point in keeping nagging. Leave them in their pit and go enjoy yourself.

Take them to a football game or hockey match

I’d probably do stuff with the youngest and leave the older two to it.
If you do want to do stuff altogether I think you’d have more success planning afternoon/evening activities.
The not swimming wouldn’t bother me.

Noone in their right mind goes to the parks at opening time no matter how early they're up. That would be downright stupid.

OP, you've had 18, 16 and 13 years to teach each of your children your expected standard of behaviour during holidays.

Did you fully utilise that time?

I think that if you're going to book a family holiday with late teens it's really important to chuck aside any assumptions about what they'll like and sit down and discuss it properly. The first question should always be "Do you want to come?" because so many parents assume they will want to. If they say they do, then the next question should be "what type of holiday would you enjoy?" If it doesn't match YOUR idea of an enjoyable holiday, then considering you are paying for it, I'd say to them that maybe it's time to go on separate holidays. Maybe offer to pay a little bit towards their own holiday with mates.

If they say they would want to come on the holiday you have in mind, be very clear in your expectations and tell them to be clear in theirs. eg if they say they just want to be able to get up when they like and stay up late and be on their phones as much as possible, suggest that maybe they could stay home and do that as it might not be worth them coming? If they insist they will join in with some stuff, make it clear that it would mean some early morning starts to get out and about and see if they're happy to do that. Or see if they want to invite their friend along (if they pay their own flight etc). Sometimes if they bring a mate along it shakes them up a bit and they're less likely to loll around.

Honestly, there just comes a time when the teens will have their own idea of what makes a good holiday, and sometimes it really doesn't turn out to be what you think it would.

Why aren't they in school?

Why we literally always go for rope drop (particularly if staying onsite) can get more done in the first hour or so than the rest of the day

are they at the parks though

Take them to a football game or ice hockey game universal studios Epcot centre Disneyland fortlauderdale beach is amazing and there is shopping maul and brilliant swap market and

Hundreds of people do! And get on several rides before the rest arrive. What a strange and inaccurate post.

Why not? I don't do theme parks, but that's all I've heard from people who want to make the most of them "we were there at rope drop" etc etc.

Take a sunset cruise sans kids.

I have arranged a day out with my American friend the week after next at one of the parks and I’m mid 50’s and she’s in her 60’s.

They so do.

Take them to Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights if you haven’t already. That’ll get them off their phones 🤣

Anyone else feeling depressed reading this? I have a 14 yo and 11 yo. I love travel. One of mine likes it more than the other… Both are screen addicts but dropped their phones for nice beaches and island hopping. Are there any specific holidays anyone recommends with DC that are mid teens plus?

OP ignore the critics. Short of beating them how can you make them do what you want? Many of those condemning you didn’t raise their children in times where screens were such a part of childhood.

How are they too old for Disney? I went at 21 with just my boyfriend and we had a blast.

Have you tried tweaking the day around, my teens loved brunch at Denny’s and then a theme park, sightseeing, shopping, airboat, Space Center etc?

Not this again. Totally boring and irrelevant question.