This summer, Louise and her husband Charly went on holiday with friends, accompanied by their children. They thought they would have a wonderful stay, however, things did not go as planned. They testify.
“What if we all booked a house with a swimming pool this summer?” For Louise and Charly, parents of little Léa, two years old, the answer was clear. When their friends suggested they spend the holidays in the same place, they immediately accepted. For Louise, it would simplify everything: the little ones would play together under the supervision of adults, while the older ones could relax in the sun… But they hadn’t planned for this detail that would slightly “spoil” their stay.
“There was of course the organization of meals, everyone helped to set the table, to clear away, to cook, but most of the time, I was the one who managed the meals, the shopping and especially, the dishes. I finally had more work than at home since there were 7 of us instead of 3″Louise tells us. In fact, their friends Pierre and Jane have two young children aged 4 and 6.
But what really surprised the mother was the age difference between the children: Jealousy between the little ones and the big ones caused conflict situations: we had to constantly police things, ask everyone to share their ball, stop my daughter from hitting the older ones who were taking her toys away. And then, when it came to food, everyone wanted the other’s ice cream and had fun teasing each other,”explains Louise, who is not used to seeing her daughter get upset with other children. “Spending two weeks under the same roof with the same people, far from your bearings, and having to deal with everyone’s disagreements is a bit destabilizing, both for us and for the little ones.”she emphasizes.
Despite these inconveniences, Louise still admits to having had some very good times, particularly during outings in the region, especially when the children played together without bickering.After all, they are just kids and it is perfectly normal to argue from time to time, but all this exhausted me. When we went for a walk just with our daughter and my husband, she was much calmer and more peaceful.”she observes.
When her friends pointed out that they were stricter with their children than she was with her daughter, that was the last straw.To each his own upbringing. We did not let her do it and scolded her when she hit my friends’ children (often in self-defense), but we did not want to add to the crying fits by punishing her as they would have done with their children”, she confides in us. After two weeks of vacation that were as exhausting as they were memorable, Louise and Charly were eager to go home. “Next time, I think a week with friends will be enough, or we’ll rent separately, so that everyone can keep their independence. Maybe in a year or two, Léa will also be able to express herself more.”concludes the young mother.
