How I balance happiness, money and mum guilt in the school holidays
As a working mum, with two school age children, the life work balance is a major ‘work-in-progress’ in my day. This becomes more distinct during the school holidays when I have my cherubs running around.
The one thing I would say to any school holiday first timers is-
Beware of the social media perfect versions of your friends and family’s experiences.
Yes they may have been on a life changing holiday to the Amazon but most people are not doing this on a regular basis and trying to live up to this picture perfect lifestyle is just not feasible and can cause a lot of stress while you try to “live up to the Jones’s”
Whilst it is lovely to have those days out where you spend upwards of £100 just on entrance fees, I think it’s important to remember that children in the main enjoy and should experience the less flashy things like a trip to the park.
We are in a climate where our children are living everything at a fast pace. They have iPads, phones and smart TVs where they can watch what they want when they want – they don’t have to wait the week to find out what happened to their favourite character in a TV show. This then carries over into their interactions where they want attention exactly when they ask for it.
Patience has gone right out of the window and I think it is something that now needs to be taught. Perhaps we need to save up for that trip to a theme park and work towards this treat instead of having it given on a plate every time they have a school holiday.
Free things like geo caching can get them out in the fresh air with a purpose. This time of the year there are also scarecrow trails to be found
. So search your local ‘what’s on’ websites to see what is going on.
My learning from navigating a fair few school holidays, is to not put pressure on yourself to have those exciting trips all the time. Quiet relaxing half terms can be just as valuable in teaching children that life isn’t all about the extravagant. In fact, if they have just started a new school, like my eldest, rest and relaxation is definitely something that will be beneficial.
Find joy in the small things and remove some of the pressure from yourself. That’s got to be a win-win for everyone’s happiness. 