Am I overthinking how crap my kids summer is

[xxxJess123xxx]

Am I? Im feeling so guilty about my kids summer as I broke my ankle 2 days before they broke up from school and now cannot drive or get out by myself.

I was in cast for 2 weeks and now in a boot non weight baring another 4 weeks. I live in a flat upstairs and so getting out is impossible unless my husband is home.

I have a wheel chair but its in the car boot and I can't get it out on one leg and the town is up a huge hill so id be frightened of not getting up it or rolling backwards.
I have a mobility scooter but wouldn't be able to get an uber to dismantle it and re put it together at the destination!

My kids are just playing "out the front" with the other kids from the block and having a couple friends in occasionally.

They are 7 and 10.

My 7 year old is doing far too much gaming but he's bored after playing out.

10 year old watches some ASMR YouTube crap.

AIBU for feeling guilty of their shitty summer.

We do go away on a caravan holiday end of August (booked before ankle) but even then, it won't be what we imagined being non weight baring.

Every summer before this (and most half terms tbh!) we would be out and about, parks, shops, library, zoo, beaches and now, nothing

It’s a one off summer. No big deal. Not a sign of deprived childhood.

Maybe a trip somewhere in an uber would break up the week? Or can you see if they can go to friends for a day or so? Can your husband take some annual leave?

Are you off work sick? Can they do some holiday clubs if that’s what they would normally do?

We feel super guilty when things like this happen cos we always want the best for them and to be happy all the time and busy , but life is like that , it has ups and downs and I think in a way it's good for kids to learn that so it's not a shock later in life. Plus I do think after a while they learn to do other stuff with their time when they get bored - play about on an instrument , learn a new skill etc etc. would they play board games with you if you had some fun ones?

I had the same a couple of years ago. One thing that worked for us is that national trust places have mobility scooters you can borrow when you get there, so you don't need to worry about transporting yours. Other attractions also often have them, we just happen to have passes and a few places that were easy to get to, so my kids spent a lot of that summer in their playgrounds.

They’ve got a mindful mother and their own home. Don’t fall down the social media hole and think everyone is entertaining their kids all day. They’re not. Not going to school is a holiday.

We had crap parents who neglected us and were cared for by my grandad who one summer broke his leg. He spent the summer teaching us to gamble, blackjack, roulette you name it we played it. When the pain got too bad we’d fetch him a whiskey then he fall asleep. I think it was the most cared for I’ve ever felt.

Can you play board games with them?

It's really good for DCs to be bored. Stop them using computers etc. Let them go outside and play for much longer. This weather is better than continuous rain! They will find imagination and freedom is so much better. They will have to get used to the new normal.

My childhood summers were like this. Mum didn't drive and day trips weren't really a thing. We did go on holiday.

My own kids ' summers were like this too. I drive, but didn't have access to a car when they were little.

Lots of playing out is good for friendships, creativity and social skills.

Playing out front and having some friends over sounds great. You and your kids are lucky to live somewhere kids play out at all. They're old enough to understand that you can't do stuff with them on account of your ankle - as others have said, just make your peace with this just being how it is this summer and working with it as best you can.

Absolutely agree.

They've got friends to play with, and your having a break away you've got more than some .

Why don’t you do things together?
-Cooking a themed night?
-Movie day
-Crafting

Im disabled so can’t do very much at the best of times. But I find things I can do with my daughter at home that are low energy for me

I want to add:
I don’t get on with my mother, we don’t even talk now. But one of my nicest memories were the summer holidays where me and my siblings sat in her bed, watching her tiny bedroom tv with On The Buses playing. It was a simple thing that cost nothing .

Sounds amazing just add in some easy stuff at home. Baking, teaching them to cook, jigsaws, playing board games and card games (get thw neighbours kids in too if helps), doing a mystery game, watching a good TV show together...