‘My boys wouldn’t behave so I cut our family holiday short after 24 hours’

The sibling rivalry between the boys has become unbearable (stock photo) (Image: GETTY) This exasperated parent has three children: two boys aged nine and eight, and a three-year-old girl. The sibling rivalry between the boys has become unbearable, with constant fighting and disruptive behaviour driving the parents to the edge. Their sons are said to “fight like cats and dogs”. Despite numerous “countless talks with them about respecting each other”, the boys’ behaviour hasn’t improved. The parents expressed concerns to their husband about how the boys would behave during the holiday, but their worries were dismissed, and the trip went ahead as planned. Unfortunately, their fears were realised from the start. The boys continued to fight and provoke each other during the three-and-a-half-hour car journey from “hell”. The parents hoped things would improve once they reached their destination, but they were very wrong. Upon arriving at the rental house, the children disregarded all the instructions they had been given. The frustrated parents reached their breaking point (stock photo) (Image: GETTY) The parent wrote on Reddit: “Shoes on the white furniture? Check. Running in the house? Check. I turned my back for two seconds and the eight-year-old threw a box of chalk in the pool to keep his brother from getting it. “We went out to lunch and they were out of control in the restaurant. The nine-year-old ran away from us in a strange place because he didn’t get his way. “We finally go to the beach and they are frankly being brats. Refusing sunscreen. Fighting over toys. Pushing their luck repeatedly going farther and farther out in the water than we told them to. Cursing. “By the time we got back to the house, it was around dinner time and I was fed up. They were totally ruining it for everybody. Nothing had worked and I told my husband we needed to go home, for the reasons mentioned above, mainly that they needed to see a REAL consequence.” Their husband said their behaviour would get better, but the parent made it clear they didn’t want to be there. They continued: “Either I was leaving, or we all were. He got super p***** and told me it was ridiculous and unfair to our daughter. I actually agree with him but saw no other choice at this point. Of course, when I tell the kids they immediately burst into tears and are begging to stay, promising they will behave.” They explained their mother who went on the trip with them “was near tears” and “argued” “begging” for the poster to “‘just let it go'”. But they said “I refused to budge”. “So, we left, less than 24 hours into a four-day vacation.” They added: “Half the ride home was spent with them sobbing and my husband pretty much gave me the silent treatment the whole way. My mother decided to stay behind a little longer but then started randomly texting me about 30 minutes in, asking if I was serious (she knew I was) and told me the whole reason she came was to spend time with the kids, so I had now ‘ruined it for everybody” and ‘they’re only little once’.” Now, the parent finds themselves facing the disapproval of their entire family, except for their three-year-old daughter. They question whether they may have gone too far in their decision. Fellow Reddit users offered their perspectives, suggesting alternative approaches. Some recommended intervening earlier by cutting short the beach visit or removing the boys from the situation, while others suggested leaving with the daughter to stay elsewhere for a few days. One person said: “Probably, with the benefit of hindsight, the thing to do was shut down the beach sooner on the off-chance you could avoid going nuclear. No sunscreen? Okay, back to the hotel we go. Going too deep? Nope, we have to go now, I can’t trust you to be safe. But it’s hard when you don’t want to shut down the activity for the whole family.” Another wrote: “I would’ve left with the daughter to stay somewhere else for three days, and let dad and grandma deal with the boys if they didn’t want to leave.” A third person commented: “There should have at least been one attempt at a punishment solely aimed at the boys, like missing a nice meal or activity, rather than immediately canning the vacation which punishes everyone. “And/or seeing if they simmer down after the first day. I’m no expert but it sounds like counselling is also needed here to improve communication between you and your husband and also you both and your kids.” This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, which speed up  Express.co.uk ‘s editorial research. A news editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to  readercomplaints@reachplc.com .