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!

Ah right. Probably had loads of help from the grandparents.

Yeah completely fair, let a 3 year old get bored at your own peril.

She also has form, telling people they should be grateful for their horrible MiL and someone else they will miss their awful FiL when he's dead.

One of those!

I feel you!! I’m day tripped out, I’m bored, skint and the kids are too! One of mine is back on 2nd Sept and 2 are back on 3rd September. We are away next week on holiday so hopefully a change of scenery will help! Good luck.

It's quite offensive also to people who might have lost their children. They would give anything to have their kids back on their summer holidays

I think you're being offensive to bereaved parents.

They've lost a child, not their empathy.

You're really clutching at straws here.

I lost my husband a couple of months ago, but you don't see me posting in the Relationships topic to berate women who moan about theirs.

My daughter also starts on the 7th - we are over halfway through (unless you broke up a week later?!). Last day of term was 17th July. We’ve had four weeks off summer hols. Three weeks left from today. So you’ve definitely broken the back of it. All downhill from here etc

No, but as I work in a school I have the holidays off. Joy 😩🤣

We only broke up on the 24th July - it’s felt like forever, honestly. I can’t believe this is only the fourth week!

I am loving the idea what you think it's a good thing if mn is sold.
To whom?

And how would you like AIBU to be revamped?

Surely it's working perfectly here, you can tick YABU and then go and read another less triggering thread.

Mine went back on Thursday. Im in scotland though so we broke up end of June. It was 7 long weeks and I've still not recovered financially yet.

Mine are 5 and 3. I never do structured activities and I don’t let them watch tv. We have a few days out here and there but most days we are at home.

They find and make their own fun, and they tidy their toys up after playing with them because they know that’s the rule and has been since they were each 18 months old (they’re not allowed to get something else out until the first toy is put away).

Your children will be overstimulated and unable to be bored and allow their imagination to take centre stage if you are managing their time and are out most days.

Maybe it depends on the age of the children. When mine were smaller we planned for one biggish day out a week, otherwise it was cheap trips to the park, beach, library, swimming pool (season card), bike rides, walks, baking, helping with dinner and gardening, watching a family film on the TV, or just entertaining themselves with toys and games. It needn't cost a bomb or take up too much resources. Now they are older it's much, much easier as they don't want to do anything plus one has a holiday job and has been raking it in. Hang on in there and definitely don't look at social media.

Although I remember a time they were painting outside on the patio with poster paints and A4 paper. I stepped inside for one minute to come back and find them painting each other and the windows!

We’ve only 10 days left and I’m not looking forward to it. July and August go too quickly (kids off here since end of June).

Shorter summer holidays and longer ones at other times of year are not the answer.

Holiday prices would be higher if everyone wanted them in say a four or five week window.

Perhaps as suggested allowing children to be bored and having to amuse themselves some of the time could help.

My kids broke up on June 25th and don't go back till after labor day so Sept 8th. Even then it's half day here only this grade on certain days so 1st full day isn't till Sep 11th. I'm so ready for them to go back, my food budget is through the roof!

YABU

I‘m dreading the school runs and traffic jams they inevitably bring. Stop paying so much money for entertainment go for walks or chill out in the garden. Look at free activities in your area or go to the local library and get your kids some books or audiobooks they can get stuck into.

On so many threads 😂

Dreading it, i hate the school run, been having nightmares about it, if I had my way my daughter would be home schooled. She behaves so much better when she doesn't go to school as well

I wouldn’t say my three year old is particularly difficult and mostly I’d say the opposite but she would be unlikly to manage a whole day. During term time when she’s home with me we go to an activity in the morning, home for lunch and then do jigsaw puzzles / play with toys and so on. I don’t think she’d manage a day though.

It may bit have been the intention, I can’t tell, but that was a very critical reply. I could just as easily suggest that it’s lazy to just let the kids to their own devices and not even try to take them out - I wouldn’t, as I don’t think that’s the case - but honestly, families, dynamics are just different. At the moment things are just easier out of the house.

Without wanting to sound patronising, you will look back fondly on these times one day. At the time the days seem really long and never ending, but wait til they are starting secondary school and then it is much harder to entertain them! When little there was so much free stuff to do (library, museums, park trips, even just a walk) now it's hard to get mine out of the house and they are happiest on screens - unless it's a day out which is expensive.