...to be irritated by people who pack their DCs off to clubs as soon as the hols start?

[juicy12]

I'm not talking about people who work full/part-time here. But really about people who are SAHM/SAHDs. Some people seem to be terrified at the prospect of spending any time with their DCs just in the home, just hanging out or doing home activities. I've got a DS - 5 and a DD - 2.5, and I'm looking forward to some weeks of chilling out, painting, craft stuff, swimming, playing etc. I've lost count of the number of other SAHMs who take the "can't possibly have them at home for 6 weeks" line and schedule the entire break to within a nano-second. Or am I being mean not booking DS1 in for loads of different activities?

WTF is sad in children enjoying themselves? And how do you wish to get 24 children playing football or cricket or whatever if you don't organise them? You should go out more.

I have 3 ds aged 10 weeks, 2.5 and 5.11.

My DS1 will be going to a club once a week on trips. Hes doing pony trekking one week going to the zoo the next. One week he's doing 2 on a canal boat and puddletown pirates and then the cinema and the manchester eye.

He's so excited about spending time with his friends.

DS1 and DS2 will also be spending time at nanas where they get lots of time lavished on them and in general spoilt rotten where I can spend time with the baby and get bits done.

Riven, are the 5 days in one go or spread over the holidays? Do you get any extra help whilst dd is not at school?

I think you're being a bit naive here Juicy12.
My boys are 11 and 8 and don't like going to clubs as they play well together or we have friends round. Plus we have a big park over the road so that helps. Most kids fight...some a lot...your two are very young and do mostly as you want, you could even fit one under each arm if they run off. If you have a house with 2 or 3 kids squabbling all day, getting physical, saying they're bored for the zillionth time then kids clubs are a blessing.

Like I said mine don't go but they are unusual in their ability to mostly get on.

Come back to us all in say 5 years

Herehere Dandylioness

Right at this moment I would sell my dcs to the first traveling salesman who happened to knock on the door and offer me a good price. Bad mother....who, me?

Well our DS1 and DS2 go to a holiday club every day of the holiday except for two weeks. They see their friends every day, get professionally coached football, cricket and swimming. They weny canoeing today, will do fencing, archery, map reading, camping, survival skills, First Aid, art, pottery, do a play and other performing arts, rock climbing, go and see a Formula 1 racing team and goodness knows how many other activities and games.

You know what, I just asked DS1 whether he would rather be at home he said - no way.

We send them to summer camp even though we both SAHD/SAHM because we also work at home and it impossible to work and look after children. It is good for DSs as well.

And plus - running around with/after kids is flippin knackering - why shouldn't a club look after them a few days if it means i have more energy to take them to the beach for a day out on another day? IMO they're getting the better deal than staying at home doing craft and making me cross with their incessant moaning!

I love spending time with my kids but always give up some of MY holiday time to run a kids club at our church. We have 70 kids from 5-11 years old, about 25 helpers and various teenagers who also help out. Its a real community event and lasts for three days from 10am-3pm. The kids meet others from our village, have lots of fun, do some craft, play games etc. I have no idea whether they spend the whole holiday going from club to club and frankly, its none of my business. By 10am, I've spent four hours of the day with my two and sill have four hours left at the other end of the day to spend a bit more time with them.
I'm unsure what my point is except that you seem to be making judgey generalising statements and I'm not really sure what yours is as your youngest is 2.5 and therefore surely not at school yet.
Sending your child to a kids club for some of the holidays doesn't mean you don't want to spend time with them, it means that you and they want to do something different. Your small children don't really have the need to spend any time away from you, but when children are older, it is good for them to try new experiences and meet new people, so yes, YABU and making generalising statements.

Plus I love one day a week where I can watch HOmes Under The Hammer, Jeremy Kyle and Loose women.

Insteaed of fireman sam and ben 10.

Thats not something I would openly admit to in RL.

I've just 2 weeks wit Siblu. Kid's clubs were available from 10-12 and 4-6. Dd went about half the time and really enjoyed herself. I wouldn't make her go if she didn't fancy it, but I do admit that a couple of hours by the pool without having to check that she wasn't drowning was fab!

I do think though, that when kids get to a certain age, they prefer to have others to play with rather than their parents. There should be a happy balance.

DS and DD are 5 and 3. DS is going to a week's multisport club next week. I have to admit to feeling a little at myself for sending him as I am a SAHM. But I am human as well. And will benefit from some time with only one of them at once.

Have to admit having some time with just DS would be nice though.

'My neighbour used to say right in front of her kids that they drove her nuts in the school holidays and she couldn't wait for clubs to start'

So?

My DS isn't going to any holiday clubs because I am currently enjoying rolling out of bed at 9:30am and I can't be arsed committing to anything that will require organisation on my part.

But it is good to know that I am less irritating than people who actually want their kids to enjoy their holidays rather than hang around waiting for their mother to wake up.

In his desperation this morning he hassled me out of bed with the cheery call of "Coffee Time!" that made me move I thought he might have tried to make me coffee! Sneaky bugger.

Very jealous of anyone who can send their dcs to clubs - if only mine were old enough they'd be going to every club going for the sake of my sanity (it has been a very long day....).

My mother used to say "Who would have bloody kids eh?" and also "Get outside, you smell!" and "Stop trying to kill your little brother, I am the one who will have to clean up the mess."

I don't feel too traumatised, but it is probably lurking.

Woo hoo at being the only person on the thread the OP responded to before going off in a flounce to do something else.

I win!!

Well done Currymaid pat on the back.

juicy.. Your missing the point i think. I have ds 7 and dd almost 2. Dh works away so it's just us. I love spending time with them both. The point is that ds gets a tad bored of me. He is a footy mad creature and does a kickstart holiday club for 2 weeks of the summer hols. The rest of his team go on it too. I would pay money to see his face if i said he would be missing it so we can do crafts etc!!!

Holiday clubs are a fantastic thing for some children. They get to spend time with friends out of a school environment and learn valuable life lessons and team and social skills. Ds is a social sole who would be bored senseless day after day without his friends.

I currently don't work so if he didn't want to go he wouldn't.

It's easy for you to make this comment with your eldest only being 5. Believe me 6 weeks is a long time for some them stuck with mum 24/7.

Nice to send different children to different things at different times too. that way you can spend time with different combinations of them (enough differents?)
I'll happily palm mine off to someone else for a bit of time so I don't have to referee while trying to get my jobs done. Or being able to sit and feed the baby without having to unlatch him every five minutes to do something for someone else.
I love my older children bu there are more people in the family than just them.

But I also have a thread asking fo ideas of things to do with them.
I don't drive so there are limited things to do, the park and the woods gets a bit boring as does playing in the garden or making camps in the living room. Its just another thing to add variety to their lives.

juicy12

I used to adore going to these sorts of things when I was a child.

My DS is 3 and in a school nursery. The school run holiday stuff so he's attending that part time. He is having a fabulous time (currently singing about it, having earlier been parading around roaring in a tiger mask he made at the holiday club). It is improving his speech, it is giving him the opportunity to do far more stuff than I could arrange (today he made a tiger mask, cooked a curry, played football etc etc). He's going to be up til 9pm so I have plenty of hours to spend with him. (Today I have looked after my 1yo and done a load of errands - Tescos, post office, housework etc - pretty boring compared to his fun day).

I think you need to let people make their own decisions based on their own circumstances. I am a SAHM and choose to send my DS to this sort of stuff - I would not consider doing it for a second if he didn't love it. In fact, I only book a day at a time in case he doesn't want to go (which has not yet happened). Why would you be irritated by me? I looked after him at home from birth-3yo and never sent him to anything without me. Now he's 3, he's old enough to understand what's going on and to love doing this sort of stuff.

Its these people who can't bare to be parted from thier children that worry me

Congrats on not having anything better to worry about!