Things that are supposed to be enjoyable but aren't in reality

[Tooconfused12]

Here's my list:

Holidays with the family (kids under the age of 6.) Too expensive, the kids are always tired/vomiting/over-stimulated. Travelling is a fucking nightmare. There's at least two arguments with your partner. And you (being the woman) end up doing all the prep for about three weeks beforehand. When you come back it takes at least a week for you to get through all the washing. And you're exhausted.

Being on the beach. It's actually a bit shit all round. Sand everywhere. People get too hot and uncomfortable. Sand in the food. Warm drinks that have been left out in the sun. The kids end up with sand in their eyes and so do you. It's always really windy and the sea is miles out which means you have to walk for ages to get there. Someone gets bitten/cut by a rock/sunburnt/swallows loads of sea water and you give up and leave after about 2 hours of drama.

Eating out. Too expensive, better quality of cooking at home with fresh ingredients.

Paris. Dirty, smelly, you're followed everywhere by sleazy men trying to sell you stuff or pickpocket you. Everyone's really fucking rude as well

Having sex. It's a bit touch and go, most of the time it's slightly boring, the bloke normally orgasms before you and the people you really fancy - when you end up shagging it turns out to be rubbish after all that build up. Or they ooze sex appeal and charisma but they do something to give you the serious ick and your vagina slams shut.

Hen do's - end of.

They’re not very good if you’ve got long hair. A nice towelling turban in a bath is really much pleasanter than an elasticated plastic bag from which my hair attempts to escape.

And on that thought I’m off to run mine now.

My thing with showers, are those one you control the flow and temp with the bath taps. They are too low down. Then those showers which control with bath taps. you got to remember to lift that lever so the water goes through the rose, not through the tap. I switch off the shower when lathering up. Then forget to lift the lever thing.

Then those showers with an attachment to the bath taps. Why? Give us an individual shower control

you need a new lover and pull the duvet over their head

You’ve obviously not been to a good one!! 💃✨ Some people are crap at organising a party, where others are not!!

Ah, is Paris still dirty and sleazy then? It's been almost 30 years since I was there, which is crazy! I mean, I loved all the old buildings and it was exciting being there, but I was there with my parents and sister when I was 14 and we got pick pocketed at Notre Dame by some Romas and then a sleazy guy asked me for sex and when I told him I was only 14 and with my parents he said "oh they can come too and watch" 😱

I also witnessed lots of generally rude behaviour, and despite me ordering and thanking etc in French, the waiters and waitresses were unbelievably rude. My dad tried his best to get on their good side with his usual cheer, but it barely worked. I wanted to love it, but ach, sadly not.

Christmas.
Hairdresser. It just needs to be over with.
Sharing showers and bath is a hard no.

No, I returned from a trip there yesterday, it was lovely. No dirtier than any other city, and no untoward interactions at all.

The only thing I agree with you on is Hen Do's!! Lol.

Everything else is literally top of my list of my favourite things to do. Travelling with our children has been the best experiences of my life (and I had 35yrs of amazing trips prior to them). My youngest is only 5 (oldest is 8) and she's already experienced France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, USA, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Germany, some of these a few times now with another 6 new countries planned in the next year. Nothing I'd rather do :)

Also love Center Parcs, a BBQ, a Spa Day and a bath (just from reading the first page 😀)

Especially when they are too young to have their own seat. So have to be belted up on a parent’s lap. Seen this on Ryanair, Jet2 and EasyJet. These airlines are not the best for room and comfort. Imagine having a baby or toddler. There is hardly any room to move around in the plane’s toilets for their normal use. Pull down the baby change table and it’s a different story.

I don’t understand why parents would endure this practice of taking very young children on holiday. It’s hundreds times worse when going on holiday via plane. You can’t enjoy the holiday much.

I was 6.5 years old when I first went on a plane for holiday. Old enough to understand why ears pop and old enough to deal with it. Old enough to have memories of the holiday

I don’t understand why parents would endure this practice of taking very young children on holiday. It’s hundreds times worse when going on holiday via plane. You can’t enjoy the holiday much.

Not in my experience. We took our children on long haul plane journeys for holidays from when they were tiny babies. And yes, we had under two-year-olds on our laps for 10 or more hours! It was never a problem and the holidays were never not enjoyable - quite the opposite. I thought it would be more challenging once they were toddlers and wanting to run around on the plane, but they were actually quite happy to sit in their seats.

Holding a baby! Just because I'm a woman I get handed babies and expected to know what to do with it, or make cooing noises etc. I hate it, and the baby usually does too.

Walking my dog. It's so bloody boring watching him sniff every bit of piss in a 5 mile radius whilst freezing my tits off, and I could be doing a hundred other things

Hairdresser 100%!!

Watching TV. Boring waste of time and I hate sitting still (see 'hairdresser')

Edit to add Christmas - could not agree more! The whole thing needs cancelling

you know there are seasons so it’s not always hot? and that there’s stony beaches here/Ireland/France for a start? as they say on here “Google is your friend” 🥴

I agree with you about most Musicals but there are a couple of exceptions:
Notre-Dame De Paris and Les Misérables.
The music and lyrics are the plot!

😂 just fabulous!!

Same with Brighton - traffic, polluted, litter, crowds, shabby, socially deprived, absolutely shockingly fugly - even tho the smug locals turn a blind eye - the last place to go on the south coast.

Watching Les Mis was one of the most turgid evenings of my life. I get that they sing the plot but it still went on and on and ON.

Yes I'm aware of the existence of weather variance and pebble beaches. But when people talk about enjoying beaches and going on holiday to spend time on them, they generally mean the sandy variety when it's hot.

I agree. I was dragged along to see it by a friend.

Yep we decided not to take our son on a plane till he was 4 - and he was amazing - we also took his most loved nursery nurse with us as had a 3 bed apartment - so just really paid the flight and she counted it as a free holiday . she had the day to herself and babysat 5 nights out of 7 and we all went out 2 nights. Worked out really well.

YY to this. Apart from some good songs I simply do not understand what people see in Les Mis, and I'm normally a big fan of musicals.

Processions and pageants.

All kinds, from the Victorian-style May Day one in my home town to the Notting Hill Carnival.

Sweaty, boring, lots of waiting, getting there early to find a good place, noisy, jostly, sometimes embarrassing and if it's a big affair, the smells of street food and greasy things being cooked....plus wading through litter etc.

Another one I suspect I'd hate (other people will strongly disagree, if my friends are anything to go by!):

Brighton.

I'm not keen on seaside resorts at the best of times. I like a secluded beach, or somewhere like Lyme Regis, but that really is the most I can tolerate. I've frequently been told I'd love Brighton, and I tell them I don't like the busy seaside. So then they say: "Oh, but it's not like the seaside - it's more like London"

Aaaaaarrrrgghhhh...! If I can help it, I will never go to Brighton.

Clothes shopping full stop. Especially when treated as some kind of leisure activity. I don't often venture out, but when I do so it's a nightmare. People everywhere, kids running around, hot airless changing rooms, nothing seems to fit and you have to fart about getting undressed and dressed again, and messing around looking for a particular item in a different size only to find they don't have it in stock. It's crap.

Grazing boards. Like clearing up after your toddlers have finished their dinner, and picking over what they've left on the plate.

Crowded pubs with nowhere to sit. Worse still, crowded pubs with nowhere to sit and a local amateur band thrashing away so loudly you can't hear yourself think.

School concerts and end-of-year shows. As dull as ditchwater and you have to sit in a draught on an uncomfortable chair for two hours to watch your own dc do something banal for two minutes, and you get fleeced out of all your money for raffle tickets that you never win. And even if you do win, it would be something like a bottle of aged prosecco with a label that's started to curl at the edges or a 3 foot tall Winnie the Pooh that smells of someone else's house.

Crocs. I've tried to like them, believe me I've tried. They are the world's least comfortable footwear. How anyone can possibly actually like them is beyond me.

Ugg boots. The world's most boring footwear. Also see above.

School concerts and end-of-year shows. As dull as ditchwater and you have to sit in a draught on an uncomfortable chair for two hours to watch your own dc do something banal for two minutes, and you get fleeced out of all your money for raffle tickets that you never win. And even if you do win, it would be something like a bottle of aged prosecco with a label that's started to curl at the edges or a 3 foot tall Winnie the Pooh that smells of someone else's house.

This made me laugh...and brought back some memories! Yes, I totally agree, but even now, when my kids are in their late 20s, I could never come out and admit to this opinion. They LOVE those ruddy shows, but God, I nearly lost the will to live sitting in the audience.

It think the worst example was when in 2011 (I think) the Buncefield explosion closed Herts primary schools for the rest of the Christmas term. So we all had to troop in in the first week of Jan, dirty snow on the ground and broken decorations littering the streets, to watch the Christmas play. It was a surreal and quite unpleasant experience.

And raffles! Oh, blimey - I hate raffles with a vengeance. I'd rather they did that game where you all pay a pound and they throw heads and tails etc, if they want to raise a few quid. I utterly loathe a raffle. One school quiz I went to had an awful giant teddy as a prize, and guess what? The winner kindly re-donated it immediately. Just take the tenner and let me go home 45 mins earlier.