Once upon a time we took one of our teenagers (and friend) on holiday. We were based on a brilliant site about 40 mins outside Amsterdam – it’s got a swimming pool with amazing slides and a theme park on site as well as a whole heap of other activities.
We spent the bulk of the week on the site or visiting one of the local beaches. It was great – totally teenage friendly. As we were so close to Amsterdam I wanted to grab the opportunity to spend a couple of hours visiting the Anne Frank house. We booked tickets in advance to avoid the queues and in the spread of a whole week away I felt that a couple of hours on an activity I REALLY wanted to do wasn’t unfair……….
Ok, so it was raining on the day we went, but the tickets were pre booked so we had to go that day.
I appreciate it isn’t as exciting as waterslides, but the teenager was grumpy!! Like really grumpy.
We soldiered on.
It was hard work, but I (and they) saw the Anne Frank house and then the rest of the holiday was predominantly water slides, beach and theme park.
Some time later the same teenager was discussing revisiting Amsterdam with their friends. “I know why you want to go to Amsterdam!” I thought to myself smugly “Why would any teenager particularly choose that location?” Little did I know…..
Apparently said teenager had a list of places to visit in Amsterdam with his friends and one of the top sites was……. the Anne Frank House…… because it was so good!!
REALLY?!?!?!? This was the first I’d heard of it because you definitely couldn’t tell they had enjoyed it while we were there. I’m glad they found it a worthwhile trip, even if at the time it was hard work (and annoying).
I tell you this because it can be tough when you’ve looked forward to a day out or activity, when you’ve tried to make it a positive experience, and yet it all feels a bit uphill. You can end up wondering if it was worth the effort, but often it is – you just don’t reap the reward in the moment.
Over a decade on from this holiday and with more parenting experience under our belt I can confirm this was not a one off experience or particular to that young person. It’s strangely comforting when part way through a day out my husband and I can glance at each other and say “It’s probably another Amsterdam.”
Sometimes the lens through which your children see things now or in the heat of the moment is very different to the way they’ll see things in the future. So if over the course of this school holiday you find yourself dragging around a grumpy young person you never know…. It might just be the best day out you didn’t know you were having!
Good luck!
Julie is an ICF accredited coach who offers vital thinking space to busy parents. She’s passionate about children growing up experiencing acceptance, belonging and connection. Her background includes working with young people in education, as a foster carer and being a mum. She is very experienced in the additional challenges some young people experience including SEN, neurodivergence and trauma
You can book an initial consultation with her at: https://calendly.com/optimumcoaching
#parenting #summerholidays #daysout #coaching #familylife
Photo by Jace & Afsoon on Unsplash