AIBU to be disgusted by parents and children at holiday parks?

[ToffeePennie]

I am so disgusted by Utterly gross behaviour of young children and their parents on holiday parks.
We’ve been at our favourite campsite since Friday night and so far I’ve been punched and smacked by numerous little kids, this is clearly kids trying to push past in queues or when waiting for entertainment etc to start and it’s not eagerness, it’s a massive case of “I’m entitled to be first!”
We were sat towards some stairs at a table and chairs, clearly the “space” is designated for the table. Sadly, dozens of kids have climbed the stairs, stuffed themselves in a tiny gap and literally kicked/punched my kids to try and get up/down the stairs. I ended up moving my seat to cover the gap and got kicked repeatedly by small children trying to squeeze into a gap that wasn’t there.
A man then saw his daughter pick up a lolly off the floor and put it in her mouth. Instead of throwing it in the bin 2 paces behind him, he threw it back onto the floor. When I told him, he said “well you throw it away then” how vile and disgusting this man is I cannot tell you. I literally wanted to punch him. (I did put the gross lolly in the bin, because the staff shouldn’t have to clean that up)
why can parents not keep an eye on their kids, apologise when they hurt someone, check they know where their kids are and ensure they aren’t engaging in gross behaviours? I have noticed it’s gotten so much worse since Covid, it seems people are stuck in their own bubble and don’t care about anyone or anything else.
It’s so vile the amount of selfish and entitled behaviour I have seen makes me so sad.

People are foul. Behaviour is definitely getting worse

You’d be better off avoiding this type of place. Same readon cheap all inclusive family hotels are to be avoided!

*reason

Good lord, where is this?

I spend most of my time in holiday parks and have never been punched and kicked, let alone numerous times.

Thank goodness!

That sounds awful. Similar thing at Malaga airport today. People pushing and shoving. Kids doing as they like. Scrambling for tables and bashing into our table. Leaving tables in a mess, not returning them to where they dragged them from.

I'm sad to hear this, but unfortunately not that surprised. I know what you mean and I too can't believe the lax parenting and entitled kids.

It’s even worse when you’re older and you’ve got all the battle scars raising your own to be half decent human beings. You lose all tolerance. I like children but whenever I’m around screaming, badly behaved and pushy children these days I’ve got a permanent side eye at the parents as if to say “wtf mate?”

Yes, we were at a holiday park last week and a kid was badly sick right at the entrance to the playpark. Mum just stuck her into the shop and told dad that their daughter had “spewed everywhere” and they needed to go and just left. No attempts to clear it up or even tell staff and loads of the kids running in and out of the playpark stood in it.

I have perfected the half-raised eyebrow and side-eye at the parents. They mostly get the message.

It’s so disappointing how many people just assume someone else will clear it up/it’s not my problem. I was bought up to try and clear my space as much as I can when I leave a place and have even been known to ask for a dustpan and brush when my kids have eaten something messy like popcorn or crackers. I am just so truly upset.
It’s not really an option for us to change where we go, as my oldest has autism and he is comfortable here!

I felt overwhelmed just trying to go to Tesco today as it was so busy. Like hell could I deal with a holiday park over Easter.

Sometimes you have to tell other people's children off if their parents aren't parenting them properly.

We've done a fair few uk caravan park type holidays and haven't seen anything particularly bad however, we're not long back from a stay in Spain and most of the British families we saw were awful.
We had lots of bigger kids playing football in the little kids park (including hitting what looked like a 2yo with the football), throwing sand at people on the beach, one lovely 10yo called me a bitch because I wouldn't let him use the pool table I'd paid to play because "your kid is a bit crap and you'll be there all day" and one who ran to our table, picked up my drink then burst into tears when I told her to put it down (it was an alcoholic drink).
Parents were nowhere to be seen in all these cases. In the last one an irate woman came up shouting that I'd made her daughter cry and threatening me until I pointed out her child was maybe 8, was about to drink a cocktail, should know better than to steal other people's drinks and they should be keeping an eye.

I think in a lot of cases people use 'holiday entertainment' as a way to keep their kids out of the way while they drink/relax meaning the kids go a bit mad and aren't pulled back into line at all.

I work in a supermarket and we occasionally have had customers be sick and wander off leaving it. We do have cleaners but body fluids are the responsibility of the first aider to clear up, whether or not first aid has been given.

Behaviour of some children and parents is awful at the moment. It used to be a tiny minority but now it’s a significant minority. No accountability or consequences. No sense of shame. It’s a crisis in schools, public transport, public spaces etc.

Sounds awful but sounds like you might be fitting in rather nicely with the comment
"literally wanted to punch him"

Are you really any different?

Well considering I put the lolly in the bin and didn’t expect staff to do it. Considering I wasn’t the one vaping in an entertainments building and shouting at security when politely told to stop.
Considering I felt like it and didn’t action it, I would say it’s a much higher plain that I exist on. But I can see you are trying to goad me for a response, so I will refrain from any further.

I attended a community Easter event with my son today.
people shoving and pushing in the queue.
there were easter gift bags laid out for the end of the event and people just surged and dived over the table to get some. The organisers had to go round to ask for them back.
older children shoving and pushing during the easter egg hunt- one snatched an egg out of a 2 year olds hand. No parents supervising.
in the end they had to finish the event early due to the behaviour of one woman who was asked to leave- said woman called the police and accused organisers of hitting her and racism because she was confronted after stealing items from the table.

it was such a shame that a few people can ruin something.

Where was this, op??

So I can avoid it obviously

We go to Haven sites frequently and have never seen anything like this luckily

Sounds like a fascinating place....

...anthropologically speaking.

But there’s no come uppance for anyone nowadays. In the past kids would get a clip round the ear. An older brother or Dad would give them a telling off and warn them off.
You can’t do that now or you’re reported to the police for threatening behaviour. Really we are stuffed. If someone elbowed me out of the way and I hit them with my handbag in retaliation CCTV would have me up in court for gbh.

I have found the same at UK holiday parks, a vocal minority spoiling it for the majority.

Although was pleasantly suprised when we went to gran canaria AI recently, I would say about half were British with other half a mix of Spanish, German and other European. Everyone was lovely, children polite and well behaved. Not sure why this was so different.

When my DD threw up in a Tescos car park whilst we were on holiday we got a bucket and water from the store and cleared up the car park as best we could. We also washed off what had spattered down the car next to us.. Owner of said car was pleasantly surprised we'd done this. The staff at Tescos were also a bit surprised we'd cleaned up

I have no idea why people behave so badly and I feel sorry for shop workers whether first aiders or others having to deal with humans

Behaviour and consequences definetly in decline.
When my eldest was at primary school, the majority of the class were all intelligent children, respectful, good manners, tried hard etc. All the parents bar a couple were all lovely people, a lot of us are still friends now. We had high standards of behaviour, a commitment to our child's education and respect for the school. I would say we were all fairly "strict" but fair parents.

6 years difference in my children. My youngest class is crazy. Vast amounts of difference in intelligence, parents declaring proudly that they "dont believe in doing homework" on the whatsapp group (were talking 5 mins of spellings and reading!) Rants about the teacher, children not sitting still in class, work being ripped up, when I visited for a school event a lot of children didnt even sit down to listen to the teacher then, the parents were not paying attention either, really poor manners etc

We are without a doubt one of the strictest parents in the class, there is probably about 6 other families like us.

Its staggering the difference.

It makes me embarrassed to be British if I go anywhere to be honest.

P.s we go to a holiday park regulary (owners) have done for several years, thankfully not experienced anything like this but it does baffle me, parents sat there getting absolutely smashed whilst looking after children. Never understood it. We dont drink at all around the children. We dont feel the need to drink to have fun. I just dont understand why youd even want to be 3 sheets to the wind when looking after your kids, let alone hungover the next day!