5 year old never happy/content - I’m exhausted

[LilyLilacanna]

Exactly what the title says.

My 5 year old son is never happy/content with what we are doing, what he has etc.

we are currently on holiday and he wakes up and immediately wants to go for breakfast, which we do but as soon as he’s eaten before we have even sat down he’s like I want to go in the pool. We’ve said that’s fine but he has to wait until we are finished our breakfast too. Once he’s in the pool he wants to play game which is fine but he wants to play for hours even though we say just relax and have a swim, jump in and out. We brought toys etc with us for the pool but he plays with them for 5 mins and then wants something else. We bought him a ring to play with and he plays with it for a day then he what’s something else. He has made friends to play with and they are all content to swim about and play with a ball etc but my son always wants to take it further - let’s get the ball and make an assault course and use a bat to hit the ball etc etc.

He is constantly asking for toys etc even after we’ve just bought him one. We’ve told him he can’t get a new thing every day and that he needs to be content with what’s he’s got.

He’s the same at home but we’ve come away for a break too and feel like we cannot get a break.

anyone else sympathise!

You might already do this but do you set clear expectations before you go? Do you have an activity book or something for him to do before leaving breakfast when hes finished?

Clear, repetitive, expectations may help.

With timers possibly. We are going to play for 15 min then it's free play time for 10 min etc.

(Needs to be achievable so start small before stretching)

Yes it's exhausting and seemingly never ending, being on holiday can be worse because it's out of routine.
You just have to be like a broken record and be comfortable with your boundaries! Easier said than done and still not fun. Hopefully it will get better in the coming years.
Sorry no real advice, but I guess the closest to advice would be to keep it on your radar and be alert for neurodivergence if it's not already on your radar

He’s the same at home but we’ve come away for a break too and feel like we cannot get a break.

Sounds normal, you aren’t going to suddenly need to do less childcare because you’re in a different place.
Things like waiting on you to finish breakfast are normal rules to hold but the rest is mostly a young child who wants to play and have fun.

I think some kids just are that way, however you parent them. One of my sons constantly wants more, more of everything, demands constant attention and excitement, complains loads. The other is totally chill and happy with whatever he gets.

For us recognising that actually this is just his personality has helped us to deal with it - it’s not some parenting failure, it’s just how he is.

So we help him learn to manage it appropriately, speak politely to people, know when it’s really not ok to moan etc. We also set really really clear expectations about new toys/treats etc and never deviate from those no matter how much he nags.

But we accept that he just is this way and you can’t change those fundamentals, and since accepting it we find it a bit less annoying!

This is why you have more then one kid then they can play together and leave you alone for a bit. Is there a kids club so he can make friends

Does he come across as a child who doesn't get social cues? How do the pool chums respond when he wants to make an assault course, hit the ball with a bat, etc? Does he recognise when they drift off to do cannonballs or seem less than enthusiastic about his ideas?

Whatever you do, don’t back down. This isn’t an only child thing. Mine is an only child and so content (same age as your son). He’d be happy in the pool for hours with or without friends. I have a friend who has an only child the same age and he is an absolute misery and never happy with anything. They’ve taken the route of spoiling and pandering and it’s creating an absolute monster.

It’s not always as easy as that.