Daughter didn’t enjoy holiday

[Personil]

DH and I went on holiday with my DD (11). When asked if she enjoyed the holiday she says it was ok but was ruined by being left on her own for 2 hours every day. What she’s referring to is when we went for a siesta. Months later she’s saying she wouldn’t want to go again. WWBU?

She sounds an entirely normal 11 year old. I think I moaned through most of my holidays as a pre-teen and teenager!

Why did you do that? What a bizarre thing to do. In the morning as well, when you’d only just woken up. Of course she wouldn’t have enjoyed sitting around for 2 hours every morning on her own in the hotel room.

It’s got fuck all to do with whether or not I can entertain myself and everything about whether I should have been put in this position.

I.e. stuck in one room through no choice of my own whilst the other 2 bugger off and do what they like in the next room for two hours. Every day.

I can’t imagine going on holiday and wasting 2 hours a day sleeping! Just take sensible precautions and enjoy the day surely?
Your poor daughter.

It emphasises the tricky dynamic of the bonded couple and the child on their own - there’s no sibling for them in circumstances like this. She maybe felt like the third wheel / gooseberry.. I think if you have one child you need to be mindful of this when choosing holidays.

Mine are older now but just been on holiday to a very hot country with wider family with similar aged kids one family of 3 plus a family with one set of twins. The kids 9-14 basically played in the pool the whole time. Think there was one siesta to get over jet lag. They had an absolute ball.

She was probably bored.
I know a kid can entertain themselves at that age, but she’s 11 and not at home with all her stuff. It must be pretty lonely to be in a foreign country with no friends or siblings and your parents decide to go and sleep every day for 2 hours.
Her idea of a holiday is going off and doing things. She was probably dreading the boredom that she knew was coming every afternoon.

Poor kid? Ffs. She's 11 and being dramatic..more than capable at that age to watch a movie, read etc. It's your holiday too.

Op we do this too! Be out the room for 10ish in the morning and at the pool/ beach, get lunch and then go have a lay down at the hottest point of the day (usually 3ish) for couple hours. Everyone in their bed where there can chill/ sleep/ read/ look at phone etc. if we are on a day trip might be a bit later. Then get up refreshed and get ready to go out for dinner. Kids staying up till 11/12ish so the afternoon nap benefits them.
Its a very normal thing to do in hot countries.

I don't understand why you'd nap everyday for 2 hours on holiday did you not sleep at night? I mean it's a different thing if you lived there sure, but just for a holiday and you're napping everyday like newborns?

If you're not used to having an afternoon siesta, then it seems a bit strange.
Going on holiday to a hot country then wasting it!.
In countries, like Spain, where a siesta is normal, then people are up much much later in the evening.
Many of the restaurants do not even open until 9.00 pm at night.

very weird on your part to do that on holiday. You’re on holiday not exactly doing taxing work sapped by the heat and needing time to recover. Not sure where you were but it’s only April, was it really that hot?

When You have kids you need to prioritise them on holiday. So the idea you would leave and 11yo while you nap is bizarre to me. If you both needed naps you could have taken turns and each had some special alone time with DD, playing cards or doing a fun DD-focused activity. Instead you left her sitting in a room. That’s not cool honestly.

Gosh 🤦🏻‍♀️ the people saying op is out of order !! The 11 years old is old enough to entertain herself for a couple of hours !!! Good on you op ! The 11 years old is BU

I'd expect her to show some gratitude for the other 14 or so hours of the day her parents took her to Spain where they by the sounds of it, did sightseeing, enjoyed themselves, ate at restaurants, had fun at the beach or the pool. Maybe she should be encouraged to look at the sunny side of life lest she end up on here in 30 years time.

What a stupid and twatty thing to say. You should apologise to the OP if you haven’t already. Dick.

What is this young lady going to do when she has to go away for university?
Or when her roommate goes out on a date?
Two hours?

That’s completely different. She will have autonomy to go out, see other people, do whatever she wants to do at that age. An 11 year old is stuck wherever her parents choose to take her - she can hardly decide she’s going on a solo trip to the beach while her parents are napping.

Think you’ve had a hard time on here. We are all different. My two are different. One would love having a couple of hours on their own and the other wouldn’t. I don’t think you acted unreasonably if you were doing things with her the rest of the day. What did she say about the trips etc.

These replies are way too harsh. There’s nothing wrong with leaving an 11 year old on their tablet or phone for a bit while you chill.

Maybe next time you could alternate naps so she’s not alone?

2 hours to a child can seem like a very long time, especially having to be quiet while others sleep (or pretend to sleep).

I remember spending a summer holiday in Spain where my friend's family did this every day and lying there listening to what sounded like a bear attack coming from where her parents slept next door. Another time, my friend's brother did a lot of rustling under his sheet before letting out a gasp, although he later claimed that he's been 'scratching at a particularly itchy mosquito bite.'

It was all very disconcerting and surreal after to go to bed again in the afternoon.

This.

shes 11 years, not months. She should be quite happy amusing herself for 2 hours on holiday.

I presume she had tablet/cards/books??

That too'

It's 'not cool' & just ridiculous treating an 11yo like a 2 year old.

I sound ancient but being bored was just part of life when I was 11. We’d have been in a hotel room with nothing in it, for starters. No TV, iPad or phone.
I’d have had a book or being drawing something at that stage and yes, I probably would have been bored. Just as I was being what felt like dragged around cathedrals, churches, historical sites.
I can remember being about 7 and loads of kids in my class had been to Butlins and it sounded amazing, so I asked my mum if we could go.
She thought it was hysterical - Butlins! But you’ve just seen the statue of David in Florence, Jade.
By the way, we didn’t have money and went without other things to go on these holidays. My mum was very Hyacinth and took us to plenty of Stately Homes 🤣