Help me get over mum guilt, feel overwhelmed

[Soggycrisps]

In the middle of the summer holidays my husband and I have booked off a week so we can go on a family holiday. For the rest of the holidays my son will have to go to holiday club 3 days a week. I feel (irrationally)awful about this. I wrongly believe that every other child spends it with 2 set of grandparents who dote on them. Clearly this is rarely the case.

I feel bad that he has to spend so much time at holiday club rather than with family.

Also I majorly fucked up as I forgot that the plan was for my husband to take off the first week of the summer holidays and spend it with my son but I forgot and booked him in to holiday club for those days too. I can't get a refund. So my husband has had to cancel his annual leave. This is not the end of the world as he can use them for the half term in October instead.

Please help me get rid of this mum guilt.

It's so hard to juggle but he may really enjoy the clubs. Is he going with any friends? If not, he will defo make lots of new friends I'm sure.

Its so hard trying to organise everything, remember everything and parent too, you have no need to add guilt on. You know they will prob love activities there and love spending time with other children. You feel guilty they will enjoy it, honestly and no grandparents not a luxury for all. My LO grandparents play a role but with a very active LO they can't possibly keep up and endlessly entertain so you do need other people to support. Be kind to yourself x

Mine preferred to be with a load of children their own age than stuck with one another at grandparents! I'm sure he'll have a good time. And he's only going 3 days a week, not 5.

Mine is in for a minimum of two days a week in ALL holidays. This year we have no days off together as a family.

Next year, we're going to do a week away in term time which will mean he goes in three days a week during the summer holidays. I feel bad but me and DH have to work and this is the only way we can spend a week away together.

I loved going to holiday clubs when I was a child. They were brilliant and far better than being shipped out the grandparents. I am nearly 40 and still have really fond memories of the friendships I made and the activities I did.

When I was a kid my parents worked full time and I spent most of the holidays in a holiday club 5 days a week. One week of the summer holidays and the odd half term I would be shipped off to my grandmother’s house; she doted on us and we had a whale of a time, but I still much preferred the holiday clubs. I remember one day being at her house watching Charles and Camilla get married being bored out of my mind! Don’t feel guilty about using holiday clubs and don’t romanticise the notion that all kids would rather be with their grandparents. As others have said it’s only 3 days a week. Give yourself a break :)

My husband is a teacher so we don't need holiday childcare. However we've used it increasingly since the Summer my oldest daughter was 3. She was an only child till she was 6 so needs lots of time with other kids in the holidays not just an occasional day with cousins. We use one main sport camp at a private school near us then also some camps for specific sports like gymnastics, football etc. The older she gets the more choice there is. Her school has a camp too that she goes to a bit but she prefers to meet new kids and be at the fancier locations. She enjoys it and loves that she gets to have packed lunches (we won't do them in term time as paying for lunch is easier). My husband's parents aren't local and my parents can't look after her.

He'll have a much nicer time at the club!

Thanks everyone these really help. I hadn't even considered he'd enjoy it more.

Mine goes to holiday club two days a week every holiday as he loves it there. He would go to breakfast and after school club as well if I’d let him!