What would you do? Three year old being aggressive at the beach

[alleycat23]

So I decided to take my three year old to the beach for a mummy and me day. He was a dream on the way there and it was a three hour drive. When we arrived, he was so so excited. He immediately took all his clothes off and tried to go towards the sea but I told him he had to wait for me. I was putting the sun tent together and getting all our bags organised and getting dressed and putting sunscreen on. Then he just went crazy. He started throwing everything. Kicking and throwing sand in all our stuff including our food. He then threw rocks and one big one hit me in the face. He wouldn't put on his sunscreen. I felt like crying but yelled quietly instead. I had to hold him down to get him to stop and it was incredibly embarrassing and made me feel so awful. By the time we were ready to go in the sea, I was too upset to enjoy playing with him for some time. He had one more outburst like this later on in which he was running at me and trying to hit me with things. That time, I just held out my arm at length so he ran into that instead but he fell down and started to cry. I felt like I couldn't win and the only one there with this issue. He's not usually this way and I didn't have the usual ways of dealing with it. We couldn't go to the car as it was a struggle to get to the beach and no way to get him to stay anywhere. What would you have done? I feel like I failed and turned a day that was meant to be special into something I would rather forget. Thank you

A three hour drive!? One way!? On one of the hottest days of the year! Then suncream, sand, lots of people. That's a big day out for such a little one and a lot of pressure on you on your own with all the bags and baggage in that heat. Too stressful.
I'd lower my expectations, stick more local and save lengthy excursions for when he's older or you have a bit of help.

I'm inclined to agree with pp. Hot sweaty car ride followed by overcrowded beach. Doesnt excuse bad behaviour but I suspect he was just quite overwhelmed. Don't think we're criticising and don't feel bad but of his behaviour is normally too I'd just chalk it down to bad experience. It is so hard right now coz we can't take them out as much and it's just crap but the reality is that kids this age are probably just as happy splashing around in a paddling pool in their garden or taking a walk to the local woods. Don't put too much pressure on yourself x

But if his behaviour is normally good* sorry, autocorrect!

I can't believe this is real. 3 hour drive? Neither of you have energy for fun after that

The three hour drive was the day before

I wanted advice on how to deal with unacceptable behaviour at the beach.

And my son loves long car drives in general. I feel like these answers make it sound like a single mum can't take her son on holiday which I find offensive. We stayed at a hotel the night before. This was 9am after breakfast.

@alleycat23 you absolutely didn't make that clear at all

RE bad behaviour, you need to prepfor success. Coach him on what will happen when you get to the beach - mummy will need to set up the towels, you can play with your spade, then we'll go in the sea. Get him ready, sunno, swimwear etc before you get down there and try and keep it all as simple as possible. The excitement will be high and the likelihood of him being overwhelmed is huge, all of which leads to bad behaviour.

RE discipline, I'd give him one warning for bad behaviour and then take him back to the hotel. Try and sympathise and reason him through his feelings, but don't let him lash out. Leave if he can't handle it.

The answers are given in response to the information you gave in your first post. Which was somewhat misleading.
No need for offence. Just be clearer.

It does read like you took the car drive the same day OP and a massive part of parenting is pre-empting how something will make a child feel and not holding ourselves hostage for it but having an understanding of how it will make the child feel. Nobody is saying you shouldn't go on holiday but it's having an appreciation for the fact that young kids especially might find this overwhelming and supporting them through that rather than any punishment as such. I agree though lots of talking about where you're going and what behaviour you expect once there and then if they misbehave on the beech then explaining that you understand why but that it's not acceptable behaviour and that you'll have to take him off the beach if he continues. Perhaps then talk to him and give him one more chance to show you he can play nice on the beach and if not unfortunately he's chosen to abandon that outing and find something else to do. It is tough but you can do it. Just say what you mean and mean what you say xx