To be depressed we are only halfway through the summer holidays

[blackcurrantsuponus]

I know, I’m going to get a load of YABUs as I love this time with my precious children’ but there are still three weeks left, I’m skint and having to muster the enthusiasm for another day out because the alternative is worse!

I'm guessing it's you that has the paddle board licence? That's not free.
Do you just go on open water then, rather than booking slots on waterways and reservoirs?

Hopefully keeping them away from judgy granny @ZestLemon

Anyway, enlighten us how you’d take a 3 and 5 year old alone on paddle boards

and why don’t you share the name of this amazing farm?

Not sure if that was aimed at me but I love spending time with my kids. I do however acknowledge that the summer holidays can be very difficult for a variety of people, for a variety of reasons. Because it’s not a level playing field.

Imagine seeing @ZestLemon taking a 3 and 5 year old out alone. Little reckless there @ZestLemon !!

And appear to own their own paddle boards.

Exactly

I love summer hols with mine and don’t want them to end

but fully sympathise that others not in same boat

Not so with our lovely @ZestLemon

I think thats a large part of the problem. Your husband is working from home so there is a pressure to keep the house quiet.

Tbh it's pretty selfish to use home as an office when you have kids. Maybe he should book a space to bugger off to during school holidays so that stress is off and it doesnt matter how much racket they make.

Sounds like it. My neighbours are into paddle boarding, and it's not cheap, what with the licence, the boards, the life jackets, booking and paying for a slot on the water.

I am sure you already have my address with your detective work looking at old threads, Oddball.

I guess we will never know how you take a 3 and 5 year old out paddle boarding on your own 😥

Tbh I think the arguing about paddle boarding misses the point a bit. Anything like that with a three year old is going to take a huge amount of input and help from an adult, ie me. It isn’t that we’re not having nice days or that I can’t think of things to do with them but it does get very tiring and being at home with them is not the solution to this problem either because they are just as exhausting at home!

I can’t tell anybody else how they should feel and if you’ve enjoyed this summer and last summer and all the summers with your children all power to you but for all sorts of reasons this one has been very challenging and I’ve been “on” from whenever the first child wakes up (630ish) to when the last one goes to bed (8ish) and then I do have to do bits of house stuff as we do need clean clothes and a bit of hygiene! So I guess what I’m longing for is a bit of chunk of time for me, even if that’s only going to work!

Good points. I just think it's ok to pull back a bit, let them get bored, and potter about and amuse themselves.
I teach a many teenagers, including post 16 students who cannot self manage because they've always been entertained and directed.

What's a paddle board license? I just take my kid on our board (which we bought, so not free, but the cost is behind us now) onto the lake, river or sea. I've never heard of a license or paying to book a slot. Where I live lots of people own their own board and just take their kids on it.

What house stuff are you doing once the children are in bed? Why can't that be done in the day? Hanging out washing while children are taken out to play in the garden for example.

Do they sit and watch TV at all? Mine wouldn't watch a film at that age but pop on some cbeebies shows and they would sit and watch a few in a row (for mine it was Biggleton).

you may not be intending to @Moonnstarz bur you’re sounding quite critical. It can’t be done in the day because largely we aren’t in during the day. As I’ve explained, they are easier to manage out of the house for a whole variety of reasons.

I very much think there is “intention”

Ok. That's the case where I live.
To add: we're not near a free lake, a big river or the sea, so people have to book slots on reservoirs and waterways.
Obviously your experience is similar to @ZestLemon's.

I totally get it. I have 16y twins and life is so much easier now than it was when they were little. It was exhausting! I imagined I will be doing arts and crafts and baking with them but reality was very different. There are definitely times I enjoyed but definitely times I’m not looking back fondly.

Over half way, 6 weeks in, two weeks and two days to go.

Yes, we all have different experiences don't we. A lot of people were sniping about taking 2 kids on a board with one adult - again where I live (in the UK) this isn't uncommon, although obviously only in small calm bays and lagoons. I would think nothing of a friend saying she'd been paddle boarding with her kids over the summer holidays, it's like going for a bike ride. Fairly unremarkable

Not the point but this summer my local library started letting people borrow paddleboards and life jackets, giving families with less spare money the chance to do things like that. Can also borrow sports equipment and balance bikes. Brilliant scheme.

Yes, it's a nice activity. Although, as you say, experiences are different, for you and for @ZestLemon, it's all free. Where I live, it's not.

Same here, I feel like a shell of a person, i wish special schools had holiday clubs as standard

That sounds brilliant.

That's a great idea, definitely keeps the costs down.