anyone see the article about holidays with other families?

[hatwoman]

also in the Grauniad. It's the second time I;ve read a load of twaddle about how going on holiday with other families is awful. Do journos have really horrible friends or something? Or are they just stupid and go on holiday with people they don;t like?
I totted up today and we've been on holiday with 10 different families - 5 of them twice and all of them we'd repeat it. and that's not counting weekends away which would be several more. I haven't enjoyed every single minute, and, shock horror, there have been times when my friends have annoyed me. I've even been on holiday with the odd spouse of a friend that I don't particularly warm to. but it's a holiday ffs. chill out and enjoy it.

lilo, it is because you need to bold each word.

obviously I am just too tired to deal with that level of detail though!

i knew what you meant

All the people we've holidayed with are very long-standing friends. we 've known at least one half of each partnership for 20 years. and we;ve certainly known both halves pre-kids. I wonder if that's what makes the difference. I don't define them by their parenting style, this parenting of small children lark is just a particular part of our long lives and our long friendships.

having said that I genuinely like the kids and our parenting, though not identical, is based on respecting. we're all blame our own kids/make our own kids say sorry/let the other kids go first/kids argue so what types

the only person who vaguley annoyed me was the mum who seemed oblivious to the fact her ds didn;t say please. but again, it didn;t annoy me much, cos I felt perfactly happy correcting him if he was talking to me. it just grated a bit watching her get stuff for him without asking him to say please. but hey.

ah, so I needed to strike out each word too? Duh.....

Yes hat, I was struck (having read it now) that the people reporting bad experiences had all taken stupidly random decisions, like going on holiday with people whose children shared a nusery with their childen. That's not going on holiday with friends, that's going on holiday with strangers.

the only bad experiecne i ever had was with a very good friend who got so inensible she didn't wake in the misddle f the night when her kids wanted her. I couldn't wake her. I dealt with kids and then absented myself the next day to leave her with the motherof all hangovers and her very toired children to deal with. We still very good friends and i would go again with her.