holidays - are they worth the hassle of packing?

[thewomanwhothoughtshewasahat]

and if you go with other people do you worry about getting on? off tomorrow and very nervous about our companions. sounds horribly horribly rude and disloyal I know. but there you go. oh well, keep expectations low and I can only be pleasantly suprised.

and why can you pack neatly to go , but not on the return. Will you be with these people all the time?

Yes you do worry, but I found the best policy is to think that you'll have a great time and if there are any challenges you'll breze through them. When I have thought I am sure I won't get on with them or will have issues I generally do

Whereas recently I just think - I'm an adult, they'll be great company and I'll enjoy it - and i do

....of course they may be saying - whagt a night mare!

mainly concerned about sheer numbers - 4 families 8 kids - am expecting too much noise and people getting ratty cos they all want to do different things. wanting to do different things is fine. getting ratty about it isn't.

My advice, drink a lot and don't bear a grudge if the other kids are horrid. The other families are probably going to think the same about yours.

Lower your standards, lower your expectations, enjoy yourself.

I'm off on my hols tomorrow and have done the tiniest packing ever. I aim to win the reputation of the 'most likely to smell of chlorine and BO'.

My top tip is if someone's cooking, either help or shut tf up. My best friend and I nearly feel out when I was cooking an enormous roast for 15 or something and went to put butter on the carrots and she said "NO! My HUSBAND WON'T EAT THEM WITH BUTTER ON!" as if it was the worst thing in the world. Can you tell it still gets to me, 2 years later? Anyway, she was welcome to help but not to be in charge, ditto when I helped her cooking. Also, make the rules about kids before hand, are they all allowed to do the same things or not? Ds to me "but mum, WHY is x getting chocolate for bad behaviour? Bad behaviour never gets you what you want in our house does it?" And my friend's kids stayed up til 9.30 by which time mine were in bed and I wanted them all to just fk off and give me some peace and adult time. But maybe you have separate sleeping arrangements (she said hopefully!)?

I bet it's ok though, come and tell us won't you?

As Grumpy old women say "holidays: childcare somewhere different, without your things"

packing is no problem,but holidaying with other people. god no!!!!!!!

as far as I'm concerned it'll be fine. I don;t really care what other people do or what their kids do - and I know the kids and parents well enough to know pretty much what I'm in for.My main fear is that other people might not have realised that some of the kids will be way beyond the stage where you put them to bed at 7.30 and eat an adult dinner at 8.30/9 pm. We're lucky in that our kids - age wise- are right in the middle and we can happily eat with them or after they;ve gone to bed. But I wonder if those with younger ones reliase what older ones can be like. but for that matter, I'm not sure I realise, but I 've at least thought about it!

I think 4 families and 8 children is better than 2 families and 4 children, because you are much less likely to expected to do everything as a pack. it won't matter if you don't want to schlep up to the ruined castle with a picnic in the rain, because someone else will go and you can form a breakaway party staying put, etc etc. the weight of expectations doesn't rest so heavy, in my experience

agree- there's just no way we can do things en masse - I am envisioning much more "what are you guys doing today?" "we'll probably go to the beach" "us too, but maybe not til after lucnh" etc etc. It just has to be like that. And in fact we've holidayed with 2 of the 4 families before (seperately) and even then it was very much like that. I can't bare people who try to organise other people. "right breaksfast at 8 and we need to leave st 9" WTF????