AIBU to set a summer schedule for my kids this summer holidays?

[livingthroughchaossince2010]

I have 5 children, the oldest is 16, the youngest is 5. With the summer holidays coming up I realised that I don't have to have summer be as stressful as possible! We are going abroad for 2 weeks but we are home for the other 4 weeks. And every year I lose my mind during the summer holidays. All 5 kids being home for 6 weeks is a recipe for absolute disaster! So I am trying to set a schedule this year, hoping for the best. The schedule is:

Everyday: Everyone is awake by 9am, chores whilst breakfast is being made, clean up after breakfast, 30 minutes of school work to avoid the school slide over the summer, lunch, every evening one of the kids helps cook dinner, dinner, give the house a quick tidy, then for the younger kids it's bath then reading then bed at 9:30pm
Monday: Creative Monday - Build something, do some arts and crafts, be creative
Tuesday: Trip Tuesday - Go on a trip to the zoo, aquarium, a day trip, beach day
Wednesday: Water Wednesday - Go to the swimming pool, a splash park, see if there is any water parks, maybe turn the garden into a mini water park - if its raining then we change the plans of course
Thursday: Thinking Thursday - Library every week then we go to a museum, historical location or we go to an event that is encouraging learning
Friday: Friday fun day - Bowling, Mini golf, cinema, theatre and then we have a family movie night at home that evening
Saturday: Relax - We have no plans!
Sunday: Sunday Reset day - clean the house to have a nice clean house for the week ahead, my DH and I will plan for the week ahead and meal plan, family takeaway night

The teenagers obviously don't have to follow the day to day schedule. They have to be up by 9am, do chores and do their school work but they don't have to come with us to every location we go to during the week. This schedule is more for the younger kids benefit!

I told another mum my plans earlier this morning, she thought I was bloody mental for trying to schedule the summer holidays! Apparently the summer holidays are for relaxing and no plans but every year I go insane and this feels like an efficient way to solve the yearly summer holidays stress! My kids thrive when they have a routine.

Am I unreasonable for setting a summer schedule this summer?

Cause if they wake up late none of their chores are done, they start asking for breakfast like 3 hours after breakfast was already made, the house is messier, they aren't as happy when they oversleep either

Blimey, isn’t the summer holiday for relaxing? I can’t wait for some lazy mornings and day trips, yours sounds very over-regimented…

I also have lots of children....organising is key.
I do a similar schedule - but with less paid for stuff. So our week might look like:
Baking snacks for the week, forest & picnic (free) library (free) swimming (heavily subsided for kids) and cinema.
We also have a home day and cleaning day.

Teens up by 10am. Chores still done daily.

Makes summer easier for us...

It sounds far too regimented and busy to be honest. What happened to spending time just doing fuck all?

How much input did the kids have in this schedule? It sounds very controlling. You are right you need some structure but I think rushing them to get up and do chores in the morning is wrong. They should be able to choose when to do chores. Perhaps a chores list and whoever puts their initial beside it does it that day? Or a weekly rotation, john on dishwasher this week, laundry next week etc. I also disagree with school work during the Summer. Encouraging reading above screen time is enough i think. Also trips out anywhere at all are educational

My teens all became nocturnal in the summer holidays. I just left them to it. They also made their own breakfast and plans for the day.

When everybody has chores, it's unfair to the rest of the household if somebody wakes up at 1pm and all their chores haven't been done yet! 9pm is late for my family! During the school term the teens are usually up at 6:30 by their own choice to get ready for school. 9pm is a lie in 🤣

My 5 year old would love that and respond really well to it...

I'd make it very very optional for the teens though. In fact I would wager that for most teens, the more optional you make it, the more they will end up wanting to join in parts if they see fun things happening.

They have chores all year round. Morning chores that help keep the household running. If somebody doesn't get their chores done in the morning it affects the whole household. And the kids did have an input about the schedule.

Maybe that's the point, you shouldn't be serving them breakfast, they should get their own. Have a cut off time for breakfast and one kid has a chore of breakfast inspector who makes sure everything is put away by a set time.

That all sounds brilliant! We work so couldn’t do it but if I was at home with them it’s exactly what I would do, my 16 year old would be very happy to come along although I get they are all different. I think it’s all well and good saying it’s rigid and where is the chilling time but many kids are just bored and drifting for 6 weeks so a plan is a good idea for many (yes, yes I understand not all kids are the same but the OP does know here kids and many would like this!).

I think it sounds ok. Maybe a bit strict with days out on certain days but if that is the aim then if better offers come along it gets switched up then that's fine. I'd rather that than kids needing to reset their body clocks by 12 hours come September and having spent 16 hours a day on screens.

It is, but it's also a thing for teenagers to need to sleep more and to naturally wake up later than adults.

You know what works for your kids. Sounds a bit regimented for me, but if you think it works go for it. My boy would probably had liked a schedule until he was about 7 and then been utterly peed off with it and just wanted to do what he felt like on the day, bar some special days that needed booking in advance. I'm also not sure that he would have wanted the same number of all those things. I mean school needs to teach a balanced timetable, at home you don't have to. If they want to swim more, or play more with lego and have less days out or whatever, does it matter? I can see though with your kids maybe you do need it more regimented because one will love Lego at home while another would swim everyday...!

Apart from the wake up time, morning chores and 30 minutes of school work, the rest is basically optional. Apart from Friday Fun day because that's time with the whole family, cause my husband will be included

I don't see the point. You have a clear idea of what you like to do so, other than trying to shoe horn them into your categories, where's the stress? Just decide what you want to do close enough to the day to allow for ticket purchases, travel organisation etc.

Forgetting the day of the week is my favourite thing about a summer holiday.

I'd say it's equally unfair to make someone else adhere to a schedule they don't prefer for your convenience though!

I'm also not sure which chore will cause a huge issue done at 1pm rather than 10am. How can it matter than much?

I'd honestly try to relax a bit. If your teens are generally good kids they deserve a bit of age-appropriate control over their lives.

My 9 year old gets his own breakfast (through choice), I’m sure if teens want to sleep in later they are able to put a bit of toast in by themselves and clean up after themselves. or if you want to be strict give them the choice that if they miss breakfast they then have to wait until lunchtime, or make do with a bit of fruit/cereal bar etc
That way it’s their choice if they miss breakfast for a lie in rather than feeling overly controlled.

I also think the best way to ensure "family fun" is not fun, is to make it an obligation rather than a choice.

Bet after a week it goes to rat shit!

So your teens can't have a lie-in, can't see their mates on a Friday and have to do half an hour of school work everyday? 😬

Yeah, if I lived with you I’d go nuts by the end of the summer hols too.
Far too regimented and not enough pure down time (which kids need!)

Not my teens.

This sounds like a lovely fantasy op.

Unload the dishwasher is a very important morning chore before breakfast, take out the rubbish bin is also important, clear the table for breakfast is important, feed the dog breakfast is important. All of these chores need to happen in the morning.