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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

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Original poster

Where to go with a grumpy 12 yr old?

23 replies

Lovecat · 23/04/2017 19:03

DD is too old for kids clubs but too young to be interested in sunbathing and reading (my idea of bliss). She loves swimming but gets bored on her own and as I'm not a strong swimmer, I can't (and don't particularly want to) amuse her for long in the pool. DH is a good swimmer but doesn't want to play games with her. In the past we've done 'family' breaks where she's met other children to play with, and had a great time. I'm wary of booking something similar this year as she's got to that grumpy, hormonal 'This is all for babies and I'm NOT going to enjoy myself no matter how much fun it actually is' stage and everything that isn't computer based is 'lame'. Does anyone have any suggestions for this difficult age? Anywhere hit with a pool will do... thanks!

OP posts:

Original poster

Lovecat · 23/04/2017 19:04

Hit? Hot. Damn phone...

OP posts:

ImperialBlether · 23/04/2017 19:04

Could she take a friend with her?

ImperialBlether · 23/04/2017 19:04

What would she say would be her ideal holiday?

AliceMum09 · 23/04/2017 20:14

I agree, take a friend. That's what my parents did for my younger brother (quite big age gaps) when me and my sister stopped going on the annual family holiday. Quite often it didn't really work out any more expensive for a package holiday where they would have been paying an under occupancy supplement anyway.

annandale · 23/04/2017 20:27

Definitely take a friend.

Camping in the south of France? Lots of sophisticated towns and people, and the French IMO do camping like it should be done.Le chef vous propose...

Alternatively, some kind of sailing holiday?

Makemineacabsauv · 23/04/2017 22:24

As the single mother of teenagers book somewhere with free wifi. Then you can enjoy the holiday and your DS will either join in and have fun or sit in the room/by the pool bar and wifi. I'd book where you want to go but somewhere good for kids her age to try and get her to be involved.
We usually go to cheap sc in Greece and my dc are fine, joining in and having a laugh but we went 5 star AI in Oct and they were bored out their brains and spent the week wifi-big. I gave up, made friends and had a good time!!

rookiemere · 24/04/2017 21:07

Just came back from Tenerife trip with DS 11 who sounds very similar to yours.
Sorry can't link on theipad but started a thread on Travel Advice asking for ideas about what to do.

In the end our trip worked out ok - I ended up having to book activities such as submarine trip and segway which was a big hit with DS. We let him crawl back to the room a fair bit and spent more on playing pool and mini golf than we had planned on. Plus he wouldn't go in the pool without us.

Suggestions I'm looking at for future trips are Centre Parcs abroad - DS loves Cp DH less keen. We're doing sightseeing around Sorrento and Rome later in the year and Im looking at excursions to make that fun such as doing an electric car sightseeing trip. Sadly for us beach trips out until DS is old enough to bring a pal.

Ihatethedailymail1 · 24/04/2017 21:36

So you don't want to play with her and her dad doesn't want to play with her? Poor kid...no wonder she's grumpy....

Floralnomad · 24/04/2017 21:38

Port Aventura , that way you can do some beach , some water park , some theme park and some sight seeing .

gillybeanz · 24/04/2017 22:47

Why doesn't your dh want to play with her? I can understand that you aren't a good swimmer but could you not manage some pool games?
It isn't a difficult age if you meet her needs, ask her what she wants to do.
I know it's hard you don't always share interests, but sometimes you just have to go along with it for the child's sake.

rookiemere · 25/04/2017 16:17

Have you got an only DC gillybeanz ?

It really is quite relentless, particularly with a grumpy pre-teen. I will admit to being less than excited at having to spend hours playing various games of pool/mini golf/table tennis/shivering in pool watching various stunts when a perfectly good set of animation staff exist as do other boys of the same age as DS.

CPtart · 25/04/2017 16:43

How about a bit of a city break? My teen and preteen loved Barcelona recently. Beach, shopping, open top bus, loads to see and do.

gillybeanz · 26/04/2017 13:35

rookie

I have 2 grown up dc and a teen.
I don't think any of mine have been difficult at this age ito acceptable behaviour when their needs were met.
Yes, they can be as difficult as anyone else, you just sometimes pander to their needs, especially for family holiday time.
Plenty of time for your perfect holiday when they've flown the nest

2014newme · 26/04/2017 13:42

Somewhere with a good teens programme
Neilsons would be ideal.

2014newme · 26/04/2017 13:44

But I do think it's mean that you and dh refuse to play with her in the pool. No wonder she's grumpy

Mulledwine1 · 03/05/2017 20:45

My DS is 14 and he still likes going to Jersey.

We hire bikes, go swimming, the hotel has a pool that he can go in without me (we've never played games in a pool, he just swims!), the hotel also has wifi so there's scope for playing computer games in the hotel room; he likes the restaurants and eating out, we go for walks, see the castles, do parkrun etc. There's also scope for watersports and he goes and plays cricket on the beach opposite the hotel with his dad.

He's not got bored with it yet. Every year we go I think it will be the last time but he's really excited about going in May half term so maybe we'll even go again next year! If we have bad weather that will probably cure us for a year or too.

Polichinelle · 04/05/2017 08:02

I would recommend either Neilsons or a Royal Caribbean cruise. Their programmes for teenagers are excellent. My son, only child, is always asking when we'll go back on one of those

mummymeister · 04/05/2017 09:15

have a look at somewhere like club vass in vassiliki or ocean elements where they are doing a specific "thing". mine also really loved PGL holidays where they go away with a group the same age as them. the one to france is really good.

Teardropexplodes · 04/05/2017 13:56

My 11 year old loved Barcelona too.

afromom · 04/05/2017 14:21

We are off to Majorca in a couple of weeks with similarly grumpy DS13 and DSD10. We have booked a massive hotel complex (3 hotels, 8 swimming pools, a water park). As parents we are dreading it a bit, but there is loads for the kids to do, it's AI so no moaning they want a drink/ice cream/chips etc:
We have upgraded to a room with wifi, so if all else fails they can lie and watch you tube all day whilst DP and I enjoy the sun 😲
I have given up trying to please all of us and we have decided to 'sacrifice' our holiday enjoyment for a couple of years for a peaceful life!
We have a city break booked in each year for a couple of nights (minus kids) to look forward to instead!

averythinline · 04/05/2017 14:33

DS loves city breaks! Rome best so far as could bribe around galleries with Pizza and Icecream...
Unfortunately I'm the only one that likes beach holidays....so
CentreParcs in Holland have been good, our main holiday camping at a nice site in France...with other kids however that seems to be getting less as he's older..He really wants NYC but DH hates flying (and Trump ) last trip to snowdonia looked at zipwire places...but didn't have time in the end.

we sort of alternate/combine 'wants' luckily he likes travelling so long train trip next on the Agenda....will have a look at Neilsons though as do see things changing as he ages

angemorange · 04/05/2017 14:55

Got a DS10 and we go away as family of 3. We make it clear at the start of the holiday that everyone can choose one thing they really want to do and we all have to compromise if we want to have a good time.
Spain is great because there are generally large town or cities for a bit of sightseeing, beach and pool to relax (DP and I take turns to go in and out of water with DS and also the 3 of us!), places to visit like theme parks which is geared more for kids but we usually enjoy them too!
Would think hard about taking a friend just yet as it's a big responsibility to take a child abroad.
Remember you don't have that many years of family holidays left - just relax and enjoy it :)

theredjellybean · 08/05/2017 14:07

another poster suggeting neilson...my dds at this age were too old for kids clubs but neilson have clubs done by school years so they are only with similar age kids and its very active with focus strongly on water sports , if i can recall that age group were also doing a bit of hanging out a la teenager style but all loosely supervised , neilson staff are cool and young and certainly my dds and dsds have all loved them at all ages

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