Mum, teenage son and our first visit to an over 18s resort - what could possibly go wrong?

I'm a brave woman who can, just about, remember being a teenager myself so it couldn't be a complete disaster, I told myself.

Yes, we have different tastes in lots of things but I have also managed to pass down a few genes in good taste. I admit, while we both love some music classics, I'm not up-to-date with the last 15 years of hits and my days of clubbing til the early hours are long behind me. I like a lie-in but, just like my mum before me, would rather the kids didn't 'miss the whole day' and stay in bed to teatime.

I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

We opted for an over 18 hotel Tui Blue which has more than a touch of luxury. In fact, Tui Blue Adriatic on the Dalmatian Coast looked and is idyllic. This is pretty cool, I thought in a very uncool way. Nobody checks your id when you go to the all-inclusive bar - less a problem for me than my son as it is at least 20 years since anybody thought I was too young to drink. In fact, the young bar staff were very happy to create 'special' cocktails for my son when I was merely stocking up on caffeine.

We picked a resort and country which neither of us had ever thought of visiting - Croatia. It was somewhere my own mum had explored as a teenager and she utterly fell in love with that part of the world.

We booked for a date just a day after prom and a few days after my son's final A Level exam. What a dreamy way to start summer, I thought. So it was all planned out in my head and I was counting down the days to relaxation. Even though I hadn't been the one doing the exams, mums feel it too you know!

'I've got to admit, I haven't really thought about our Croatia trip at all', my son declared a few hours before we were due to set off. I left an empty suitcase in his room, told him it would be incredible and that was it. All mums will be proud to hear that I was absolutely right and even my teenager acknowledged that at the end of a fantastic week.

I pushed myself out of my comfort zone by jumping on a zipwire (almost upside down in a spiderman pose) and got exceedingly wet river rafting. My son tried lots of stuff beyond his teen years and together we had a fabulous time. It was different for both of us but in a very special way and it turns out that age treated as a unifier rather than a barrier makes everything more fun. Although I would be the first to admit that staying at the blissfully relaxing Tui Blue Adriatic makes everything a lot easier than normal life at home.

What we learnt: There is no need to be worried that teenagers don't want to take part and that middle-aged mums are always embarrassing. It was a precious pre-university time that neither of us will ever forget for all the right reasons.Next time, and I know there will be a repeat visit to wonderful Croatia, much as I love all three of my kids - I'm taking my mum. Generational challenge: Part Two is on the way.