Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
Entertainment
Karen Antcliff

Mum who accused 'headstrong' child of 'spoiling holiday' opens up parenting debate

A mum taking her children on a skiing holiday has opened up a debate after posting on Mumsnet that one of her children was spoiling the trip. Mumsnet is often a go-to site for parents to get advice or opinions of topics relating to parenting.

In one of the latest discussion posts, a mum asked fellow parents and carers for their opinions after she posted a dilemma while on a skiing trip. Entitled "child spoiling holiday", she sought advice when dealing with a "headstrong" child and was soon inundated with replies and opinions.

She wrote: "We're currently on a ski holiday, first time for the kids. Child no 2 is refusing to go to ski school, he thinks it's boring. The other 2 would rather ski with parents too but they're okay to do it."

Read more: HMRC £2,000 childcare boost for Nottingham city and county working families

She went on: "I'm currently sitting in the apt with the middle one as if he's not doing ski school he's not going skiing. He's very headstrong and I don't think he should get his way. I'm now resenting the fact that I've to sit here for 2.5 hrs until the lesson is over. Do I then let him ski in the afternoon?"

Advice on the topic poured in but opinions on what to do differed considerably. One person replied: "No he doesn't get to ski this afternoon if he's not done the lesson unless you know that it's too basic and he's in the wrong class. If it's right for his level of ability he needs to do the lesson to learn properly. That was non negotiable with ours."

Another person taking a firm stance said: "Would you let him miss school? Then you need to get him to ski school or ensure the alternate is worse. No sitting at home on screens. Learning any new skill is tough. But perseverance is an important characteristic."

However, others weren't quite so set in the right or wrong reaction to the situation. Another responder replied: "It's his holiday too! What are the options for him if he doesn't do ski school? Are you a brilliant skier who doesn't want to be encumbered by kids whilst whizzing down black runs? Has he skied before?"

Another asked: "Did he want to go skiing? I would have been terrified of that as a child and cold and miserable and very much not felt like it was a holiday in the least. Same as I would now really but I have the option to never go. It's a bit different to a child not wanting to go out for a walk or to a museum or join in at dinner. It's a very specific activity that I don't think you can force him to do."

The debate continued. In fact, as the time of writing some 292 people had waded in with advice or opinion. Someone else added: "So it turns out he doesn't like skiing. Oh well. Can't like everything. Can't you find a different activity to do? I know nothing about ski resorts but is there not a swimming pool or something. Or go to the nearest town and see what's there? Can you just play in the snow?"

What would you do in this situation? Let us know in the comments below

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.