Growing up in a B&B

Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum

Help Support Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

krissi

New member
Joined
Aug 24, 2013
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
My late husband I ran a B & B for a short time and I loved it. I would love to get back into the business. I have a ten year old son (Yep I was widowed young I'm only 33) and I'm curious if anyone here can provide insight on what it was like to grow up living in a B & B. I don't want to rob him of a pleasant childhood or be overly absent in his off-school hours, especially as a single parent. I think it would be a great experience for him, but I'm asking for everyone's thoughts because it's my son....I can't make decisions without being exceptionally thorough. :) Thanks in advance!
 
We have an innmate here who is a single Mother with twin boys. They are her hired help. Welcome. You will get blunt answers here so please do not wear your "thin skin" when asking questions. You will get the facts, ma'am.
 
Welcome!!! We had a 13yo when we started. It can be trying at times but also rewarding as I believe you can instill good work ethic etc. in a child when they watch you doing the same.
Hopefully the innkeepers currently raising a family that are active here will join in the conversation.
Hope you stick around. Best wishes for you & yours as you plan your future.
 
It's not just innkeeping. When I was a child my parents owned the local newspaper and many a night I fell asleep on a pile of old newspapers down at "the office". I loved it. For a kid, being part of the family business can be rewarding, and great fun! By the age of 10 I could run the presses to print job printing like wedding announcements and posters. I could glue up and create scratch pads, staple catalogs together, even work the linotype machine!
But I guess it partly depends on the psyche of the person. I can picture some people being resentful of being the child of busy parents, but not me! I loved being right there with them on the job, vs. them being gone and me being alone (my siblings are 12 and 7 years older than me, so I was much like an only child...my sister and brother had left the nest by the time I was 11).
 
As a B&B brat - I wouldn't worry + plus have a at least 5 B&B owner neighbours with kids, all of which are normal and well adjusted. I actually find B&B kids do better in later life as they understand where the money comes from there isn't this disconnect where it just seems to come out of a hole in the wall. ie this much work + X much money.
I don't know whether you have the option to buy your B&B where there is any back up ie near a parent or sister who could help cover should you want - or lets face it in this modern time self check in is a realistic option for those occasional plays etc
 
It's not just innkeeping. When I was a child my parents owned the local newspaper and many a night I fell asleep on a pile of old newspapers down at "the office". I loved it. For a kid, being part of the family business can be rewarding, and great fun! By the age of 10 I could run the presses to print job printing like wedding announcements and posters. I could glue up and create scratch pads, staple catalogs together, even work the linotype machine!
But I guess it partly depends on the psyche of the person. I can picture some people being resentful of being the child of busy parents, but not me! I loved being right there with them on the job, vs. them being gone and me being alone (my siblings are 12 and 7 years older than me, so I was much like an only child...my sister and brother had left the nest by the time I was 11)..
Arkansawyer said:
I could glue up and create scratch pads, staple catalogs together, even work the linotype machine
I don't want to hijack this thread, but I lit up when you mentioned the Linotype. I worked for the local newspaper after school and during the summer in the pre-computer age and they used a Linotype. 45 years later, I can still remember the sounds and smells associated with it.
In 2006, my wife and I were walking the streets of Palermo, Sicily and I smelled THAT SMELL! I looked and saw a small print shop nearby and they were using a Linotype! I rushed in and in broken Italian explained I was an American and that I had worked with a Linotype in my youth. The two gentlemen behind the counter were very friendly and became quite animated during the discussion. For some reason they were as excited as I was. It was an exchange I'll never forget, not only for the nostalgia, but sharing the love of something so personal with strangers of another culture.
 
It's not just innkeeping. When I was a child my parents owned the local newspaper and many a night I fell asleep on a pile of old newspapers down at "the office". I loved it. For a kid, being part of the family business can be rewarding, and great fun! By the age of 10 I could run the presses to print job printing like wedding announcements and posters. I could glue up and create scratch pads, staple catalogs together, even work the linotype machine!
But I guess it partly depends on the psyche of the person. I can picture some people being resentful of being the child of busy parents, but not me! I loved being right there with them on the job, vs. them being gone and me being alone (my siblings are 12 and 7 years older than me, so I was much like an only child...my sister and brother had left the nest by the time I was 11)..
Arkansawyer said:
I could glue up and create scratch pads, staple catalogs together, even work the linotype machine
I don't want to hijack this thread, but I lit up when you mentioned the Linotype. I worked for the local newspaper after school and during the summer in the pre-computer age and they used a Linotype. 45 years later, I can still remember the sounds and smells associated with it.
In 2006, my wife and I were walking the streets of Palermo, Sicily and I smelled THAT SMELL! I looked and saw a small print shop nearby and they were using a Linotype! I rushed in and in broken Italian explained I was an American and that I had worked with a Linotype in my youth. The two gentlemen behind the counter were very friendly and became quite animated during the discussion. For some reason they were as excited as I was. It was an exchange I'll never forget, not only for the nostalgia, but sharing the love of something so personal with strangers of another culture.
.
Arkie & PT - I also remember the Linotype. My first husband went through his printers apprenticeship while we were married and that newspaper still used Linotype. He used to bring slugs home from time to time and I saw and heard them in operatiuon in the composing room. Blast from the paast.
 
It all depends on you and how much help you will have, and how busy you are. I know the first few years here when our daughters were younger, I began to HATE and RESENT the business.
Part of that was missing out on so many things, and being unable to be there when I wanted to be there. Even though everyone says own your own business, be your own boss...it is a 24 hours/7 days a week business. You are committed to it, and you can't just close up shop when you have reservations on the books and people coming from across country and world who are depending on staying with you.
Living in your business is much different to owning a business and working OVER there and coming home to HOME.
So my advice is to make HOME a safe place, innmates here have seen the veins bulge from my eyes and smoke come out my ears when a guest who is just being nosy enters our owners quarters, with the PRIVATE do not enter sign.
Guests just the other day told me about a dog who was growling at them here... and YES they tried to get into our quarters, our dog is not a growler, but a great protector of her family. So I loved it.
Keep the boundaries. Don't be embarrassed to do so. People come and go day by day, your family is what counts. My daughters are required to help with the business, there was no choice. People ask "Do you like growing up in a B&B?" they had no choice. Of course they would prefer to NOT grow up in a B&B, but it is what it is. Not all kids would do well in this environment. Some do. It is all in your attitude.
Hope that helps from my perspective 10 years into it.
 
Back
Top