Accidentally booked holiday for A level results day 2026. DD mad at me!

[Onecrazymama]

My DD is sitting her A levels next year in 2026 and then planning a gap year. She isn't even sure about going to University at all and despite being predicted all A's for her her subjects she isn't planning to apply to a university for 2026. She may apply for a 2027 place though once she realises what hard work getting a real job is 🤦🏻‍♀️.

So I went ahead and booked a package holiday for August 2026 to Spain for her, my husband and other child. Then about a week after I'd booked I realised it would mean we are away for her A level results day 🤦🏻‍♀️. We'll be back 5 days later, she can get a friend to collect them for her and obviously as she's not planning to go to uni I thought she'd be absolutely fine about this.

However, she has caused an huge fuss and wants me to change it! I've looked into moving it until after results day but it is going to cost £320 extra. We really can't afford that and the holiday itself is already alot more than we would usually spend and it's going to push our finances as it is. We booked the holiday as treat for her to be away for her birthday, celebrate finishing school etc and now I feel terrible. I don't know what to do for the best! Right now I feel like cancelling it completely 😞. She's being horrible to me, telling me she won't come on holiday and saying I'm being selfish. My husband says he doesn't want to discuss it! As far as he's concerned we aren't changing the date as it isn't actually important or necessary for her to collect her results in person as she isn't going to uni. Does anyone have any advice or just something to make me feel better 😞

Oh fuck off

What an erudite, cultured person you are 😁
No, I won’t be taking that piece of advice any more than the utter nonsense you spewed earlier.
But thanks 😘

But A level and GCSEs are pretty much the same day if not the same date! Just like bank holiday Monday in August. And has been so for awhile it is now the 2nd Thursday a levels and 3rf for gcse (though that used to be a Friday)

Given the info about her poor behaviour and attitude, I definitely would not change the dates.
She needs to hear the word “no” occasionally.

I’d change it. It’s a rite of passage for young people and should she change her plans in terms of what she’s doing after A levels it could cause real problems to be out of the country.

All the hard line “she needs
to hear the word no” etc posters how is that supposed to work exactly? Interested to hear how you can “make” a teenager come on holiday with you and also make them enjoy (or appear to) enjoy it? This is not actually possible.

This, they've been the same for years and years and years with endless coverage in the media, all media!

Remember the famous incident when neighbours teen son refused to physically get in the car because he didn’t want to go on a walking holiday in wales and miss lots of parties 😀

@Onecrazymama there's no right and wrong way, in Scotland the certificates get posted to you house from the SQA, and the school get a note of the results and the young people can set up getting their results by text too. So can get the results esults before the postman comes. What a shame there is not the option of the text results system. Even in my day many moons ago, your certificates were posted to your house.

So YOU ALL forgot? Not just you!

Sorry I honestly can’t see the issue of her opening her results a week late…. Or speak to one of her teachers - maybe with written permission from your DD her favourite teacher will agree to phone her and open her results live on the phone with her and read them out to her?
I agree she doesn’t NEED them on the day they’re released, especially as she’s having a gap year! Different if she was applying to uni’s….
I think I’d sit on it for a month and see how everyone feels next month….

Honestly though I’d have booked it for beginning of July when schools are still open and the holiday would’ve been 1000£ cheaper!

So basically she’s told her friends and they’ve all whined on about wanting to go together to get results etc…. Sounds like she’s now only changed her mind because of friends pressure….
Would you get refund in full if you cancel? I’d yes I think I’d tell her you’ll just cancel it and not bother as what was supposed to be a treat is now ruined by arguements anyway!
OR as she’s almost an adult… tell her to get a job and cover the cost of changing it herself if she’s that bothered, or she needs to be mature about it and find another solution that disrupt her families plans!…. I’m sure if her results are posted you have someone who can go round your house and open them while on FaceTime to her!… they could literally open and hold it up to the camera so she sees results first!!

Go straight after the last exam in June or beginning of July and save a bloody fortune

Unfortunately we aren't able to go in term time as I can't take time off then. I work in early years education and can only have time off during school holidays.

I've changed the dates as I would never have knowingly booked it for results day, we just all completely forgot to check as we have always gone on holiday this week in previous years.

I'm self employed so I don't get "holiday pay" or any other kind of work benefits which is why I've asked her to contribute her £50 toward the date change. I don't feel this is unreasonable as she was originally fine with not collecting her results that day, then this week changed her mind. We weren't t able to cancel without losing the whole deposit of £800.

I agree with you.our daughter finishes uni this year,and it is really important to her that we are there.until I know the date I won’t book our summer holiday.

This wasn’t the question? Uni is not the be all and end all. In fact it’s the easy option in my opinion.