My mum always used to say "why do I bother?!" and now I understand why!

[TotorosOcarina]

We are quite broke but I saved up a few weeks to have a day out today. We went to see Toy Story and have a pub dinner (we also ended up going to an indoor play area for an hour as the showing of toy story we intended to see was sold out)

So they had a bloody good and expensive day!

But they bickered, moaned and fought about the silliestest thing.

I enjoyed the day but find it SO much more tiresome when I am making a biig effort with them because their behaviour is nodifferent to us being satindoors all day!

They are still very, vy small ( 5 nd 4) so maybe I am expecting too much, but I wish we could have a smooth day out sometimes!

You are expecting too much, that's a VERY long and stressfully exciting day for two little people to be expected to behave well.

I know, but its from 7am that they do it. We didn't leave till miday.

I just wanted to do something special for them.

Toy Story is a winner for 4-5 year olds but a pub dinner clearly isn't, it was for your benefit. Fair enough, but you can't expect them to be grateful and you can't expect good behaviour when they are whipped up into an excited frenzy beforehand.

it was lunch at the play place, not a nice pub

oh I know where the OP is coming from.

It seems not matter how small or big the "treat" when we go out, their behaviour is simply awful on the way home/at home afterwards.

Makes no difference what time of day, how "exciting" (or boring) the morning/afternoon/day out was they are awful.

I find it best to have looooooow expectations!

lol Carbonated - I do...........and they always manage to stoop below them