Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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

426 replies

Tooconfused12 · 19/04/2026 16:29

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.

OP posts:
ginasevern · 19/04/2026 17:02

Afternoon tea. Too late for lunch and too early for dinner and basically knocks out both.

Spa days. I know most women love them but I find them boring and awkward.

"Retail therapy", aka clothes shopping. Trudging around trying to find something that clearly doesn't exist and using hot changing rooms with mirrors obviously borrowed from the fair ground.

Eating outside. No, this is not fun.

Periperi2025 · 19/04/2026 17:02

evilharpy · 19/04/2026 16:50

Snow days. It's freezing and wet. I don't want to build a snowman, I want to stay indoors.

BBQs. Sausages and burgers burnt on the outside, raw on the inside. Much prefer to cook indoors and eat outside.

I live on a mountain, snow days are the best, go up before anyone else and put fresh footprints in the snow, bit of sledging, DD builds in the snow, come home everything goes in the tumble dryer ready for later, hot chocolate, lunch, roads are then clear so all her friends start coming up and out for round 2 with warm clothes straight out the dryer.
I've got it down to a fine art.
Although i wouldn't spend on taking DD on a ski holiday yet as she does a few sledge runs then just wants to build in the snow, so it would be wasted on her.

TheIceBear · 19/04/2026 17:07

SoScarletItWas · 19/04/2026 16:47

Spa days. Sitting around in a jacuzzi/ sauna is ace for about 20 minutes. Enough. Can I go home now?

Ooh whilst I’m on that topic - facials. Every single one I’ve had has broken me out and never left me ‘glowing’.

Gonna disagree on sex, though. In the words of Samantha: ‘Fuck me badly once, shame on you; fuck me badly twice, shame on me.’

Agree with all this . Spa days are just pretentious shite . I hate seeing couples walking around in dressing gowns in particular it makes my skin crawl for some reason . And facials. Spending 50 quid to have someone rub a few moisturisers on your face and give you spots

NimbleHiker · 19/04/2026 17:09

Spending time with my mum. It is impossible to have a 2 way conversation with her as she just drones on about herself.

TheRealMagic · 19/04/2026 17:09

I feel like this is a list of all my favourite things! My own list of things I always think I'll like but never actually do:
Naps
Clubbing (not that I've been in a long time!)
Shopping as a leisure activity

Scarfitwere · 19/04/2026 17:13

So many good ones here! Totally agree with Paris, beach (unless you have loungers), baby showers/gender reveals, clubbing, couples spa days and worst of all, hot tubs. Hot tubs seem to exclusively attract terrible people too!

SnoozyNCNC · 19/04/2026 17:13

Hard agree on shower sex. Cold, hard tiles against your backside? No thanks

TwistedWonder · 19/04/2026 17:14

Hot summer days in England. If I’m in the Med or somewhere else used to hot temps I live laying on a sunlounger dipping in the pool.
Sunbathing in the UK is grim. It’s hot sweaty and humid. Wasps are everywhere and there’s no decent aircon to cool down

Silverbirchleaf · 19/04/2026 17:15

Playgrounds - used to hate taking dc to the playground. Found it boring watching them play, and yet I had friends who went every day.

Running - tried it, not for me.

Apple stores - dh and dc can’t go pass one without going in. I find a perch and wait. They should start serving nice hot chocolate (not a coffee fan) for all us bored partners.

New phones - following on from the above. I just have dh’s cast offs, and am more than happy with that. Not actually sure what version of the phone I have.

Moveoverdarlin · 19/04/2026 17:16

Family holidays and Hen Dos I one hundred percent agree with.

youalright · 19/04/2026 17:17

Everything i can't think of one fun thing that is actually fun and not just stressful and hardwork. There might be the odd enjoyable moment within it but overall no, not one

Vintageblueribbon · 19/04/2026 17:18

Nightclubs-ive never enjoyed paying for expensive overpriced drinks and I want to be able to hear who i'm with

Going out-i love staying at home in my pyjamas and oodie

Romantic walks-i have arthritis in my knee and its just painful

Going to the hairdressers-i hate the meaningless small talk

Pubs-see above nightclubs but a tiny bit quieter

Shopping-i used to love it but due to my arthritis its painful to walk from shop to shop and failing to find what I want
I can sit at home,scroll and have it delivered to my door

Male strippers-id rather eat my own liver than scream at some muscled bloke getting his kit off
Give me dp and his dad-bod anytime

HangingOver · 19/04/2026 17:18

Recieving oral sex. It's such a weird horrible tickly feeling.

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 19/04/2026 17:18

Don’t agree with eating out or sex. Never been to Paris

Clockinginat2pm · 19/04/2026 17:18

Parties:
Birthday
Anniversary
hen
wedding
Garbage, absolutely garbage with forced interaction, small talk, food is shite, not enough, badly cooked, paper plates that bend, nowhere to sit, awkward standing around juggling bendy paper plates with your drink. When can I leave? How long do I have to stay? Do I have to keep talking to these people I have zero in common with?

Eating out. Expensive, poor choice for vegetarians, waiting too long for food, too crowded, awful smelly, dirty toilets.

Shopping centres. parking spaces too small, squeezing out of the car door with an inch gap between cars, the crowds, the people walking super slowly then stopping suddenly at the bottom of escalators or shop doors or walking 4 abreast so you can’t get past. Queues to pay. Trafford centre is the fucking pits go example.

Cinema, through the roof expense, the general public being as antisocial as they possibly can, talking, phone use, crunching, getting up, kicking the back of my seat, feet up in the gap where my arm needs to rest, arseholes.

Disney. Sorry but OMG what a huge pile of steaming rip off utter utter robbery. The relentless continuous attempts to get money out of people before and during the time wasted on the whole bloody thing. The queues on an industrial scale, cramming as many people as possible into the parks, once there, the price of the crappy food, ice creams, fast passes, extras is barefaced theft.

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 19/04/2026 17:19

HangingOver · 19/04/2026 17:18

Recieving oral sex. It's such a weird horrible tickly feeling.

Really? I love it

teaandtoastwithmarmite · 19/04/2026 17:20

I agree with parties. Really don’t like them

PoliteSquid · 19/04/2026 17:21

Travelling on a plane. It used to be exciting and adventurous but now it’s awful. I’m seriously considering not bothering until I can afford first/business! Still requires waiting in the same airports as the other passengers though…

TheGrimSmile · 19/04/2026 17:25

Agree, OP, except going to the beach. I like beaches, home and abroad.

I'd add barbecues. Such a faff; burnt outside, not cooked inside. Women doing all the prep, men showing off with fire. Smoky. Then it starts raining and you cant all fit inside.

Bristolandlazy · 19/04/2026 17:25

Big music gigs,, a lot of travel, queuing, expensive drinks, I'm happy watching it on TV at home. Festivals, no thanks.

NoYouCantComeToTheWedding · 19/04/2026 17:25

NimbleHiker · 19/04/2026 17:09

Spending time with my mum. It is impossible to have a 2 way conversation with her as she just drones on about herself.

Edited

Are you my sister?!

HoppityBun · 19/04/2026 17:26

TwoLeggedGrooveMachine · 19/04/2026 17:02

Christmas markets. Thousands of people buying overpriced food and mulled wine you can get for a couple of quid a bottle in Aldi.

Picnics. Dragging a blanket and various Tupperware’s of salad you spent hours making and it’s either too hot and the food wilts and congeals or it’s windy and rainy. Plus you need to drive so can’t even have a glass of wine.

Going to a ‘farm’ to see a field of pumpkins/tulips/sunflowers/lavender/whatever to watch bored kids go feral while mum tries to capture the moment for SM. Queue for hours in the rain for overpriced food.

I’m good with beaches though. We live on the coast so never need to do a whole day. We turn up late as the lobsters are leaving and if the tide is right the water is coming in over the warm sand. Always check the tide table if you don’t want an epic walk to the sea.

Completely agree about picnics. OTOH a long walk broken up by coffee in a flask and sandwiches stuffed in a pocket or backpack is very satisfying

DuchessofStaffordshire · 19/04/2026 17:26

Barbeques. I spend ages: shopping for all the ingredients, marinading meat, making kebabs, koftes, burgers, a selection on salads, dips etc. DH then stands in front of the barbeque poking sausages and then claims all the credit for it. I then end up having to clean up the resulting mess.

HeadDeskHeadDesk · 19/04/2026 17:27

Any hobby or sport that takes more time and effort to get there, set everything up, pack it all away again then drive back home, than the time spent actually doing the bloody thing. Skiing, fishing, windsurfing, anything that involves loading stuff on to trailers and carting it around the country, (dog showing, motocross, anything involving horses) and definitely sailing. God that is the faff of all faffs.

All of them seem like far too much effort for the level of reward.

Theonewhogotthecake · 19/04/2026 17:35

Sharing a shower. Crap experience always