Friday 10 June 2011

Resort behavior


It's gone quiet again after half an hour of much excitement, screaming, shouting and throwing water around. I am not anti child. I have both been one and given birth to two. But dam it I am now an old woman and I occasionally marvel at what parents think acceptable behavior.
This place is better than most I think but at another place we visited we had a dreadful week coinciding with half term.
The family above us had grandparents, parents and three children. The old ones were left in charge of the young ones and on the very first night they started moving the furniture. The noise from above increased as we realized the beds were being used as trampolines.
During the day they took over the pool, driving off any families with babies or toddlers as they dive bombed anything else in the water. Grandparents tried but failed to stop it.
Sitting on our terrace we had a variety of missiles thrown down until they made a mistake. A ball bounced on my husbands head.
"Throw it back" they shouted.
" Come and get it "he replied.
They came and we tried to explain that it was our holiday too.
I felt sorry for grandpa and stepped closer to one boy and spoke his name. He ducked expecting a smack, the very last thing I would ever do We gave them back their ball.
That night grandpa presented us with a bottle of wine. We were pleased until the waiters told us he'd pinched it from another table nearby .
By the end of the holiday I knew all of their names and had in my mind made many excuses for their behavior. Apparently we were the only people there who had not officially complained. Poor kids. Poor grandparents.
Now every time I hear high pitched screaming I wonder if they are back. Except I suspect they may be banned!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

2 comments:

UKViewer said...

Oh Dear, the delights of a families on holiday.

Perhaps we have learned that the best time for taking holidays is when children are most likely to be in school, or off peak. It works for us and even when we were in Madeira a couple of years ago, we stayed in a hotel far away from the sea front. A longer walk up steep hills, but so peaceful.

Ray Barnes said...

Like UK Viewer John and I used always to take our holidays while the children were in school both in the UK and in Europe. It was the only way to guarantee a measure of peace and quiet in which to relax and recover from a hard-working life.
Not anti-child, merely pro-grey-cell-restoration!