Does a mention of summer holidays trigger the panic button and make your heart beat faster? Please relax! You are not alone; you have the company of parents suffering from FOSH (fear of summer holidays).
Ironically it's this very break mothers keep dreaming all through the school year, to get relief from the mad race of pulling kids under the covers, running around to find missing things, packing lunch boxes, and making breakfast to push through their throats and catching the bus.
Are you feeling breathless just by reading this? Yes, it’s that crazy!
Too caught up to read? Listen to the story here:
As the African proverb says, it does take a village to raise a child.
However, today we have two parents bringing up kids without any support, while juggling infinite tasks that make the stress of dealing with altered routines overwhelming during the holidays.
Continuous social media interaction raises the expectations of kids who start thinking that every kid on the planet, apart from themselves, is either sky diving in Dubai, enjoying chocolates in Switzerland, or is enrolled in high-end activity classes. The Instagram and Facebook pictures fuel imaginations and expectations 24x7.
So don't make the mistake of spending extravagant amount of money on holidays that forces you to be on budget for the next few months.
There is no need to plan an expensive holiday or spend money on expensive classes. Parents, you can survive the holidays happily and in a budget-friendly way without making it a burden.
Here’s how you can do that:
Simple Plans
Create a simple family plan by involving the kids. If both parents are working, then make it clear that weekends can only be the days for going out.
Decide on two or three big activities in a month, it could be a visit to a historical place, museum or adventure sports like trekking or a movie.
The kids can entertain themselves by watching Harry Potter movies, TV shows, reading, painting or playing on weekdays.
Plan Activities
Simple activities like making an ice cream can entertain young kids but older kids need something more.
Look for some engaging projects online that interest the child. Many DIY projects from science to crafts are available. Involving other parents nearby to club for group activities also works well.
Pantry Planning
An organized pantry makes meal planning easy. Make a list of dishes your kids like. Keep it simple. The dishes should be easy to cook or assemble even in your absence. This helps all parents, stay at home or working.
You can stock on puffed rice, readymade sauces, dressings and sandwich spreads, cheese, home-made chutneys, chocolate spreads, peanut butter and juices. Stock some sprouts, vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers and boiled potatoes that can be assembled in a jiffy to prepare healthy snacks.
Neighbourhood Activity Classes
Commuting is challenging in cities. Enrolling kids in activity classes in the vicinity saves time, energy and money. The only criterion is the kid should be interested in that activity; otherwise, you have a sulking kid.
Reading Nook
In this era of digital temptations, a reading nook might sound crazy, but you can create a cosy corner to spend time, even entertain through digital attractions.
This helps in two ways; it gives the kids something to think in terms of décor and arrangement and it might also encourage them to read or paint.
Routine Rhythms
Though the quote from Robert Orben underlines the spirit of holidays: ‘A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in’, holidays should never be an excuse to be completely disorganized.
While the need to relax is understandable, there should be a routine flexible enough to offer space and rigid enough to have a structure.
Re-charge
No matter how much you plan there will be days when you lose patience become frustrated or angry. At such times, the best strategy is to schedule some ‘me-time’ for regular self-care even for few minutes.
This practice will calm you and help to respond rather than react.
School holidays are times to be enjoyed not endured. Appreciate the unscheduled days.
It is a perfect time to slow down, laugh, play and ignore the tiny imperfections life sends your way.
(Nupur Roopa is a freelance writer, and a life coach for mothers. She writes articles on environment, food, history, parenting and travel.)
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