Any solidarity for the mixed bag that is single parent holidays

[ABitoverit]

Just got back from taking the kids (12 and 9) away-UK holiday, mixed weather. It’s hard taking them by yourself. Does anyone else feel it’s a lot of responsibility to make it a good time? To be exhausted by being the only parent, so the one who drives everywhere, pays for everything, says yes or no to everything and makes all the decisions. My kids are pretty good, generally helpful and mostly reasonable but even so…. Is it better to throw money at it, go abroad to get the weather, just go with more people or suck it up and be grateful you’ve been away?. I thought it would be nice the 3 of us, and it was, but it was also hard. Anyone else find this?

It's hard - just as hard as not being on holiday, or a little harder in fact as it really highlights the loneliness of all the decisions and responsibilities. But your DCs will have had a great time and you've all made lovely memories.
Honestly I can't with the UK weather anymore, good weather makes everything nicer, so I am not planning a holiday until I can go abroad to some enchanted land of forever good weather.
As for going away with more people, do you mean friends and family? That could work.
I took my DCs to a Mark Warner once, I was no longer a SM but DH could not make it; I had quite strange experience. Obviously none of the other -whole- families talked to me for the whole week, which was fine by me. DD struck a friendship with a little girl, who was there alone with her father. One day the girls asked us to all have lunch together, so we did and made polite conversation. We all left the table together to take the lifts, said bye and we went to our room to have a nap, as you do in a hot country. I think the following day, this woman comes at me in the lobby, incensed, and tell me 'I should be ashamed of myself', I was stunned, asked why, she wouldn't say, said that I 'knew why' I thought she was mad or mistaking me for someone and brushed her off. Anyway it took me a day or two to start wondering if she thought this father and I had talked once, had lunch with our kids, and there and then went off to have a post-prandial tryst ??? I mean. The level of curtain-twitching. And even if we had, what was it to her? Still baffled by it all to this day. That was my experience at a 'family resort' as a lone woman with her DCs, just so you are warned 😅I can only hope you've escaped that kind of nuttiness during your UK break.

😂, might give the Warner resorts a miss then! Thank you for replying though, it feels a lonely space when most people I know have another grown up to share the load with so good to know others understand….and you’re right holidays heighten the loneliness of single parenting. I think the enchanted land sounds like the best plan and I will start saving for it-good weather and a pool cures most things I find 😊

Eughhhh this is what I worry about! DS is 5 and I’ve still not taken him on a ‘proper’ holiday - we’ve done Butlins every year with extended family, and short city breaks etc.
I’m longing for an AI or something but dread the judgement, especially as I’m not the most ‘hands on’ parent (DS is well behaved and outgoing, constantly wants to make friends and although I watch/supervise of course, I do not want to spend all day every day on holiday engaged and playing games, but according to some stuff I’ve read on here that makes me a neglectful parent 😬)

Yes they do and it take the pressure off trying to find things to do. MW was fine - great sailing, well organised for DCs - save for that nutter!

I’ve done camping, YHAs, caravan holidays and day trips as a single parent and it was hard but mainly on me, I hope my DD has good memories of those times. I had a really special holiday with my DD in Italy thanks to an unexpected tax refund when she was 7. The weather can make or break a UK holiday and I remember a few rainy walks/rainy days inside playing cards but also some great weeks with unexpectedly glorious weather. Your kids sound lovely by the way.

Mine are teens now but yes it is hard, the weight of every decision and action is on you. I do love it too though. I did a road trip/bucket list holiday with mine last month and it was exhausting but those memories will really last forever and it was a privilege to be with them
and have them to myself.

Similar to Mark Warner (and similarly expensive), I highly recommend Neilson. Kids clubs are swept up, they can do as much or as little as they/you want. They have social tables at lunch/dinner too for people on their own (or just with partners off doing other sports, or people who want to meet others). The kids clubs vary in timings, so you get a couple of evenings to yourself as well 😊

Thank you! I wasn’t sure if anyone would respond to this and really needed a place to say how I felt and I feel heard. It IS a privilege to be with them and do things but it is also exhausting and at times overwhelming-probably from wanting it to all be so lovely, when reality is always a bit in between. Think I might go back to roping the extended family in!