Tag: family

Single Mom Refusing Another Vacation As 3 Kids Are 'On Their Phones' Backed

Single Mom Refusing Another Vacation As 3 Kids Are ‘On Their Phones’ Backed

Posted on by Amanda G. Dean

A single mother who’s tired of “managing” her three daughters (aged 21, 16, and 13) who are constantly “on their phones” during their family vacation has received a wave of support from users on Mumsnet.

In a post shared on Mumsnet under the username mycatisannoying, the woman said: “I adore my children but they’re really f***ing me off.”

She said she “probably wouldn’t choose to spend this much time with them…,” adding “I am fed up of managing their moods, their spats, trying to get them out the room at a reasonable time.”

Despite the stresses that may come with family vacations, the demand for family travel in the U.S. was reported to be strong in 2021 following a sharp dip in 2020.

According to the 2021 edition of the annual U.S. Family Travel Survey conducted by the Family Travel Association (FTA) and the NYU School of Professional Studies (SPS) Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, 88 percent of parents are “likely or very likely” to travel with their kids in the next 12 months.

“This means that travel demand from U.S. families in 2021 is at the same level as it was in 2017,” explained a report on the survey’s findings by Dr. Lynn Minnaert, a clinical associate professor at the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality.

A mother tired of two kids arguing.
A mother seen with hands to her chin and looking upwards, while sitting between two young girls who are arguing.
iStock/Getty Images Plus

“Travel intent in 2021 is higher than in 2019, when it was at 70 percent, and in 2018, when it was at 79 percent,” the report said.

The mom in the latest Mumsnet post later explained that her 21-year-old daughter has “high functioning autism and doesn’t really have any friends,” adding “it’s mostly the 16-year-old who

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Four snapshots of gratitude from a beach vacation :: WRAL.com

Posted on by Amanda G. Dean

By Andrew Taylor-Troutman

Raleigh, N.C. — 1. After hitting the beach that first morning of our family vacation, I played Uno back at the house with my sons, their hair still wet from the ocean. I would have preferred for one of them to win, but the cards fell in my favor. My boys scampered off on their own, leaving me at the table to shuffle through memories of my childhood. How I hated to lose! I remembered beating my father in Old Maid by looking at the reflection of the cards in his glasses!

There was a trip several decades ago to a different beach when my grandparents invited me to play Rook for the first time. This a bidding game, like Spades, and the strategy was over my head. I must have been a liability to my partner! Yet, what I most remembered was the patience and kindness of the adults.

My younger son interrupted these thoughts by asking if we could play again. And I excitedly dealt the cards.

2. The next day I jogged to the end of the beach where the ocean met the sound. This was a short distance from where the rest of my family had set up on the sand, but was still a slog. I had not been running in months, preferring to meander through the woods with our new dog, a form of exercise good for my soul but not to raise my heart rate.

I plodded underneath the hot sun, paying more attention to my aching legs and ragged breath than the swimmers, sunbathers, or seagulls, when suddenly a small blond boy came out of nowhere and started running beside me. With a wild grin, the boy shot ahead! Not to be outdone, I managed my own burst of

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7 simple hacks to try.

Posted on by Amanda G. Dean

In Mamamia’s Parenting Hacks series, real women share their tips and tricks on everything from meal prep to organisation to nailing the morning routine.

This week, Mamamia’s Family Writer Laura Jackel shares her hacks for travelling long-haul with kids.

I have just returned from a trip to see my family in the UK and while this is not the first time I have flown long haul with my kids; it has been five years between journeys.

The outgoing flight to London with a quick layover in Singapore was challenging, but the excitement and novelty factor of our imminent adventure made up for it. 

We all managed some sleep on the plane and the tearful greetings and tight hugs on arrival were wonderful. I loved making up for lost time and seeing my kids reconnect with their British family in the sunshine. 

Watch: The horoscopes at the airport. Post continues below. 

But after a joyful and hectic three weeks, we returned home at 1am on Sunday morning after 32 hours of exhausting travel. We had snacks, showers and then collapsed into bed. The long journey back home again was less adventurous and more arduous. We think the cat was happy to see us.

I last experienced the epic journey to London with a nine-month-old baby and an eight-year-old, and I can say without a doubt that long haul travel with a five-year-old and an 11-year-old is MUCH easier.

There were still a few tears of frustration at being squashed, overtired and bored, but the kids handled it all pretty well and I didn’t experience the constant crushing anxiety about my baby waking up and screaming for hours. 

Overall, our trip was a success, but every time I travel I learn something new. 

If you’re planning an overseas trip with

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Canadians say they’re worried about the economy but big-ticket travel bookings are coming in regardless

Posted on by Amanda G. Dean

Another survey, by retail rewards site Rakuten, shows that 71% of Canadians say inflation will impact their travel plans in 2022. Compounding the problem, 54% say they intend to take a road trip this summer – and of course, road trips typically aren’t planned with the help of a travel agent.

But at the same time, the same survey indicates that 63% of Canadians agree travel is more important now than it was before the pandemic.

And 45% of respondents said the cost of flights within Canada has resulted in them deciding to travel outside the country. High levels of international travel are music to the ears of the travel trade.

Last month Travelweek looked at the rising cost of travel and how travel advisors can help their clients blunt the impact.

Now we’re hearing from agents who tell us that while some travellers are price-wary, others vacationers are taking the ‘revenge travel’ trend to heart and booking bucket-list trips while they can, after two-plus-years of little to no travel.

“FOR MANY CLIENTS, THIS IS THE YEAR OF REVENGE TRAVEL”

Ayesha Patel, a travel consultant with The Travel Next Door, says she’s seeing a mix of reactions from clients. “Some think that travel is back to pre-COVID days and that includes pricing,” says Patel. “They’re finding the jump in cost to travel now to be so high that they are holding off travelling somewhere far like Europe until they can save more money and choosing to stay closer to home in the meantime.”

Adds Patel: “But I also have clients who haven’t traveled for over two years, are fully aware of the rising costs and are willing to pay for it. They have saved their money and are open to compromising on certain things as long as they can

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