We all love getting away from our day-to-day lives with the occasional holiday, but how do you feel about taking young children with you on your trip?
According to one mum on Mumsnet, taking a child under the age of five on holiday is a recipe for disaster, but her opinion has sparked debate among other parents.
The mum said she finds that her kids "don't appreciate" any attractions or planned trips out, and everything seems more stressful and expensive when children are involved - with her even going so far as to call holidays with kids "horrid".
In her post - which condemned various aspects of travelling with little ones - the mum claimed both staycations in the UK and holidays abroad are equally rubbish, and she'd much rather just stay at home where her kids can keep themselves entertained for the duration of their school break.
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She said: "Going on holiday is horrid with children under five. Why do I do it? Why does anyone do it? It’s just stressful, expensive, stuff always goes wrong, the kids fight, get overtired and don’t appreciate any attractions or walks or planned trips out. They’re just as happy playing by a puddle in a f***ing car park or throwing stones one by one down a drain.
"No one agrees on what they want to do with the day so you compromise and end up doing something no one wants at all. For some mysterious reason, you think it’d be a great idea to uproot the kids from a nicely established routine and a familiar environment where you’ve got everything under control to an unfamiliar place, where the beds and rooms are different, so bedtimes are a right effing drama and you get little to no sleep.
"The weather is traditionally s**te (looking at you, UK holidays) and you spend about three days trying to figure out how everything works in the new place. Plus the tortuously long car journeys there & back if you’re crazy like me and booked somewhere too far away.
"Everyone breathes an audible sigh of relief to get home. Kids go and play with a puddle/drain, I can watch junk on Netflix in the evening, and everyone is happy. No one enjoys holidays with under fives, surely?"
And although opinion was split online, many commenters did agree with the mum, with one parent sarcastically commenting that holidays are "joyful" with her children.
She said: "My eldest is nearly nine and he can't even come with me to walk the dog around the block without moaning, so holidays are joyful."
While another agreed, stating: "I know what you mean. I feel there is no such thing as an actual holiday, ie: a break from life with a little child."
But there were plenty of comments from parents who claimed to love travelling with their kids, especially as they know they're making memories that their brood will cherish forever.
Someone wrote: "It's certainly not my experience at all. It's the reason I work for - I absolutely love holidays with ours. Without a doubt the best times we've had with them both. Chilled, fun, lovely weather, no work, nap when they want, stay up late, sleep better, no arguments or stress. I honestly love every second."
As someone else posted: "Wholeheartedly disagree. I've been travelling long haul with my daughter since she was five months (she is now 4) and I love it."
"I get some people don’t like taking kids on holiday, but for the vast majority, it’s not a horrible experience," a third stated, "we always took ours away from tiny babies onwards. It was easy, especially when they were really little and worn out by 7 pm from all the swimming."
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