to find it mildly upsetting that now that I am a mum I can not sleep and lounge around in the holidays?!

[pamelat]

I say this part flippantly before I get told how lucky I am.

DD 11.5 months.

DH brilliant with her and does most of the early morning stuff. She tends to wake about 6am and unfortunately has woken in the night for the last 2 weeks (she has had a cold, teething etc etc).

I realise I am lucky because in the holidays I rarely got out of bed before 8am (except on 2 days when he had a lie in). Week days I get up about 7am but he does that first hour so he can see her before work.

However, a tiny part of me is still shocked by how full on parenthood is and a tiny bit of me longs for holidays spent lounging in bed until 10am and having relaxing days in front of the TV (which DD would never allow!).

Part of me was quite glad when everyone went back to work today because everyone has to get up early! Most of our friends do not have children, yet.

We obviously love her to bits and she is more than worth it but AIBU to find it all a bit of a shock!

I would love a weeks holiday in the sun reading my book all day but its a shock to realise that might not happen for 15 years?!

It does take a while to get used to the fact that your your whole life (pretty much) has changed for ever.

But you are lucky in that your dh is around in the mornings to help out - mine leaves very early for work so I've always had to do it alone.

Btw it does get easier, but not for a few years yet!

don't worry - you'll get your lie-ins back (up to a point) when the DC can get her own brekkie (yoghurt out of the fridge, banana from the fruitbowl) and when she can work the remote control....ta da! Your weekend/holiday mornings will be yours again. As long as you don't mind her watching loads of TV before you get up.
Mine were 4 or 5 years old when they could do this...only a few more years to go

my two are 6 and 3 and I slept til 9 today. They were downstairs, foraging about in the fridge, making a mess! but, the mess only took five minutes to sort out. So, worth it I think.

It's taken the entire holiday to train them though. They are waking up at 8 now, but two days back at school and they'll be waking up at 6.45 again. argh.

Are all the children back to school in UK today then??

I agree it does come as a shock, but as others have said it is for a relatively short period of time. Mine are now 4 and almost 7 and they get up and do their own thing weekends and holiday. DD makes breakfast - cereal, yoghurt, fruit, brioche, pain au chocolat, juice etc, and they play, draw, watch tv for a good couple of hours. I wake up when they get up as I am a light sleeper, but I doze with half an ear open until I am ready to get up.

Last summer we hired a villa with enclosed pool in France for 2 weeks and had plenty of opportunity to read and relax whilst they played in the pool.

Its not forever then?!

DD wants a bottle of milk the instant she wakes, and then toast etc. Then she likes me to sit and play with her for 3 hours before she goes back for a nap (think I have created this 'problem'?!) She plays quite happily by herself with DH whilst he gets his things together.

I might even invest in a TV in our bedroom when she (and if we have no2) are older and we can all lounge together, that would be lovely.

Think my perspective is tainted by an awful awful holiday we had when she was about 7 months old. I had an imagine of her sat playing in a sun umbrella , the reality was that she hated it, it rained all week and she never slept more than 4 hours a night. I guess it can only improve ... !

think most of the school children in the UK are back today or tomorrow liffey.

Actually I can't wait for school to start again. My dc1 misses school and her friends so badly she was 'playing school' yesterday.

Oh Pamelat, are you only mildly disappointed, mine is nearly 4 and im still devastated I can't lounge around in the holidays.

I took mine abroad when he was about 14 months, nightmare as well. No more wild holidays until im at least 50 then i'll be the oldest swinger in town lol.

lilacclaire, it is a little devastating isnt it!

DH really wants another now and I am keen and then think that I might as well get all the getting up behind me quickly. Not sure I am the ideal of motherhood!

I think I am naturally lazy.

Have them close together!! I prolonged the agony the joy by having a wide gap. A lot of things would be easier now if their ages were closer. I could read them the same story at night. They really need two different stories becaue of their age gap.

This is why people invented hotels with childcare.

Oh god yes on the wide gap. I have a 10 yo and a 1 yo and one in between. Nightmare.

This is why I'll be going back to work!

Wilf, so is that 3 bedtimes stories!! Your voice would be hoarse after all that reading.

I sympathise. I love being a sahm, but I have had occasionally had desperate moments when I long to be a chic older woman haggard 50+, with disposable time and (hopefully) income. Child free shopping....

'mildly'
I'm with the wildly and madly and totally group and I have three DDs at 9,4 and 2. DP and I say holidays are just activities in a different location, often without all of the items-DVDs, ALL toys they own etc to keep them happy And with the added stress of making someone elses cottage/hotel room filthy/untidy/broken. Plus the horrors of the journey there and back.
Sigh.

LOL at "all lounging together" with two children in the bed - squabbling about how is next to who and who poked who.

It does really get better though.

My Mum had my DD for a weekend and DH and I jetted off to New York. Not at all restful, but did not have to watch a small person and get a stiff neck all the time.

it is worse once they are at school
then you actually have to get dressed and go out to take them there
at least with an 11 month old you can lounge about inside on a cold day like today in your pjs

I'm 26 and when I was 25 I fell pregnant with DS and although I was happy it was still a real shock and I found it hard having to suddently adjust to being a mother. Now DS has just turned 1 I am 7 months pregnant with another (naive I hear you say) shock pregnancy!

This pregnancy hit me quite hard in that I really missed my pre-baby life, although I genuinely wouldn't change it for the world, I often wish I would have waited a bit longer.

So nope, YANBU.

I feel content when I realise that at least I'll never be lonely again and we as a family have so much to look forward to.

Mine are almost 4, 2.5 and 8mo. DH and I take turns having lie ins during holidays and weekends till about 10.30am unless we are going out in the morning.

Today DH was back at work so he gave the 2 older ones breakfast and lo slept till 9am so I stayed in bed till then while the other 2 watched tv and left satsuma peel and pieces all over the place

We live in a bungalow so it's a bit easier. Anyway I better go and get dressed now.

Would LOVE a holiday just me and DP again though!!