To be annoyed at this child and family (on holiday)

[Blueeyedstork]

We are in Spain at the moment with another couple and their kids. DH and I have one DS (13)

a bit of backstory relevant to this is when I was 11 I was pushed out of a boat on the lake in the Lake District on a school residential trip and was not allowed to get changed until the rest of the activities that afternoon were finished. So I was wet and freezing cold. It also took someone ages to respond to the fact I had been pushed out the boat, so ever since then I have had a phobia of cold water and being out my depth. It’s got to the point where a single spash can freak me out so I stay out of the pool as I know it’s unreasonable on a family resort to ask kids not to splash. it’s my problem and I deal with it.

anyway fast forward the last 2 days we have been sat on sunbeds and there is a family of 3 kids with water guns just squirting them at everyone on the sunbeds. The first time I jumped out of my skin. My husband asked them to stop and other people have asked them to stop including a family with a child with autism who was getting really upset. The parents just shrug and said we are by a pool so we should expect it. Eventually the mothers of the child with autism when to get one of the staff members and they were told to pack it in.

today they were back doing the same thing. They got me twice and once in the face which really panicked me. The staff at the pool today were not bothered and would not tell them to stop so I spend the afternoon sitting away from the pool. I had been there about 10 minutes with my eyes shut before I feel this cold water on my face and one of the little buggers and stood there spraying right in my face. Well I feel off the chair and have injured my shoulder. My husband marched up to the staff and demanded the manager of the hotel. The lifeguard then actually asked the family to stop.

Then coming back from evening meal tonight and we were suddenly all covered with water and one of the little buggers was stood outside his chalet squirting people going past but this time he has obviously been bought the biggest super soaker in the shop. The boy laughed and shouted “dad it’s the lady who screams when she is squirted” (I didn’t really scream just let out a yelp a few times). The dad burst out laughing. I had to hold DH back from confronting him. (The dad is built like a brick shit house and looks the type that would punch someone just for fun)

anyway we when to reception and reported them but the staff don’t seem bothered. I kind of feel these boys will be out to get me tomorrow as they obviously find my reaction funny. the parents don’t give a toss

we have 3 days left and I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder all the time. What can I do or am I being unreasonable about all this

It was a different world back then though...

The hotel is being negligent here. Unless it is a private villa, such items should frowned upon - even forbidden, much like air beds etc.

As tempting as it is to take up some of the ideas on here, I would escalate through management and tell them that your injury is a result of them not taking action when you first reported this antisocial behaviour.

Be a little more demanding in your exchange with the staff and demand proper action and express how it is ruining your holiday and you are expecting them to handle the situation by confiscating the guns, telling them you are very surprised they are letting this continue.

It is worth speaking firmly to management one more time.

Unfortunately, unless there are pool rules, where items such as guns are not allowed, things like this will happen around a shared pool, as some people just do not care about the comfort of others.

This requires what is called an asymmetric escalation.

Get a bucket with ice and make a bucket of icy cold water. Throw it over the older child. Saying “now fuck off you pair of little shits”

Go up to them in the restaurant and tell the younger child you will break his fucking legs if he comes near you again. Then smile, and go “holidays are such fun”.

walk past their table with a glass of coke in each hand whilst they are eating lunch, pretend to stumble and throw the coke on their food.

i’m sure other people will have some other better ideas.

This is terrible to try and gaslight OP into thinking it's her problem! They're doing it on purpose! It's one thing to be splashed once or twice accidentally by kids. It's their holiday too and can't always be avoided in a pool full of playing kids. As long as they and their parents are taking reasonable action to prevent it then that is normal public pool in a package holiday stuff. I've been on plenty of package holidays though and spent most of our time by the pool around multiple children. Not once has anyone repeatedly and deliberately sprayed water at me even once never mind when I've explicitally asked them not to. It's really not on the OP to shy away from a typical family holiday. It is on the parents to remove the waterguns from their little shits and remove them from the pool and give then a good talking to about consent and public behaviour. If this was my daughter the water toys would have been removed the first time she splashed somebody that didn't want it.

I most like the idea of filming yourself saying you don't consent to this OP then filming any other incidences and telling the family that you'll report them to the police. Sorry you're having to go through this on what should be your relaxation time.

This would really spoil my holiday. I’d be complaining loudly and often to the manager.

What a horrible family. Water on phones, books etc will damage them. Can't believe this hotel allows this abuse to continue. You need to go back to the manager with alot of the other guests here. I'd hate cold water being squirted ok me as I imagine every single person would if they won't expecting it. Family needs moving or banned from the pool area and the guns removed.

I would go to the resort manager and make a complaint. Tell them that if this is not addressed you will ask for a refund for your entire stay and will report the behaviour to the police as assault.

Basically escalate this and give them no choice than to take action.

I am so tired of useless, entitled parents who won't control their kids...

Stick your legs out as the little shit is running by and hopefully he’ll land on his face and break the water gun as well.

Just to say as well OP I know you probably realise this but please don't do anything to the kids as some pp are suggesting. As hilarious as some of these suggestions sound and as much as I'd love the little turds to get their come-uppance you can guarantee that if anyone was to so much as break one of their nails the parents would be the type to sue the pants off you. Not worth the hassle

I've seen it. I still don't recommend that course of action. Like I said, we can agree to disagree. The OP will make her own decision.

Agree. A good telling off is as far as you can go.

How old are they? If young enough I would start by saying Santa isn’t real and then I would merrily teach them lots of swear words.

They sound like brainless Robinson squash parents who are incapable of teaching their kids basic decency.

spwak to manager again and say that you will leave a bad review unless they sort it. If you see the toy again take it off the kid. Or better still, break it.

Complain to manager it is assault and you don't know it is water in the gun.
Say if they don't do anything it will be the police and you will review it on the sites
Get it logged and threatwn you will go to tour company
The fact someone recently got compensation for sun beds and the fact the hotel took no action on multiple assaults will make them taks notice

This!

Not the point I know, but oh dear, how embarrassing.

Check the time on your watch when one of them is walking past and accidentally elbow one right in the face

What on Earth are ‘Robinson squash parents’?

The problem is that Spanish law does not class this as an assault in the same way that English law does. The solution is for a group of you to speak with the manager, but keep it calm, no raised voices, etc.

You really need the staff to confiscate their toys until the end of their holiday.

I do wonder if you might be able to have a word with the mother and explain your phobia. You shouldn't have to and it probably won't achieve anything if their parents didn't do anything about you being sprayed directly in the face or about you being attacked as you returned to the hotel.

There's a Robinsons squash advert where a teacher speaks to a parent about their child's bad behaviour at school and the mum goes home and giggles with the child about it while they drink squash. ie. Useless parenting/ Parents encouraging bad behaviour.

If you’ve booked a package don’t forget to lodge a complaint with them too. You may be owed compensation.

Thank you! That’s a new one by me, was mentally trying to piece together a new squash hierarchy…good parents give Ribena, bad parents give Sunny D…🤣

Haha I was doing the same thing! I thought it was a jokey metaphor saying they're to parenting what squash is to the drink world (i.e. rubbish) - like when people say "if you were a meal deal you'd be a ham sandwich and a water!"

You know which villa is theirs now, that was a bit of a rookie error…

But in all seriousness I agree with posters saying people like this will really make your life a misery if you retaliate.

Complain complain complain and insist you will not stop complaining until the water squirters taken away or the family are banned from the pool.