Jealous and judgey all at the same time

[ibangthedrums]

A school friend is going on holiday with her DH and 4 yr old DD. They are staying in a fairly remote apartment complex. There is a pool but no kids club.

They are looking forward to spending the whole week by the pool reading whilst DD just potters etc. No day trips or anything like that are planned.

Now I am jealous as I have two very lively pre school DSs and would never get the chance to have a holiday like that. I would spend most of the time playing games etc. There would certainly would not be much relaxing and reading. To top it all she sleeps for 14 hours a day!!!!

However, I am also judgey as I think that their DD must certainly end up bored. Do other people's children really play happily for that long? Perhaps they should try and do something a bit child centred?

The thing is, how much fun do most kids of four get out of historic sights and museums? I'm not knocking it, if your child happens to like that kind of thing (and I do take mine to museums, too, at home) but I know absolutely for a fact that my daughter would be tons happier pootling around beside a pool with toys and books and me (and you know, I am perfectly capable of carrying on a conversation about fairies while I read my book; I'm sure we all are, it's part of the job description).

I'm sure there are lots of children who would like to go out and do some kind of organised activity every day but mine isn't one of them. I'm sure she's not alone. Maybe your friends' child is also someone who is happy to have a bit of down time.

Also, they are not in a house on their own, are they? It's a block of flats. There will be other children.

I am sure there will be other children but she is v v shy (as I was hence my identifying with her somewhat!)

I would also just like to say again that I do not think every hol should be a 24/7 round of organised activities (which also is not my idea of fun).

I do think though, that out of 7 days one day where they leave the complex to do something else may be a good idea. I am not saying it should be a kids club or anything like that, just a day trip with Mummy and Daddy (e.g a castle where she can can where she can go off and play princesses or some such thing).

I had thought that otherwise by day 7, she may have been getting a little bored spending all day every day beside a pool she can't yet swim in. You have convinced me that this may not be the case