The summer holidays can be a mixed bag of pros and cons with the absence of school runs but the complication of kids to entertain, no worries about whether the uniforms are washed but the difficulty of last-minute requests for lifts and money! If you’re also juggling work, a tight budget, other family members, bad weather or conflicting requests the holidays can quickly go from a chance to recharge to an emotional and logistical nightmare. Of course, these aren’t the only things that could be challenging but hopefully trying a few of the below suggestions can give you a bit of a break too!
So, what can you do to make sure that you also get some sort of rest? First of all, you need to not compare yours and your kids summer holiday plans and activities with everyone else’s. There is a saying that comparison is the thief of joy and too much comparison and wondering what others are doing can prevent you from enjoying something different. Do not feel guilty if you have to work over the summer- work is not always optional and you should never feel guilty for providing for your family. Another thing to not feel guilty about is having a tight budget. Everything is more expensive at the moment, and kids do not care how much things costs – there are lots of free activities and inexpensive treats that can be much more meaningful than an exotic holiday or extravagant trips.
Dealing with other family members can be tricky over the holidays as you may feel pulled in different directions by people who expect you be available and excited to do the same things that they want to do. A good way to manage this is to map out the holidays and decide what YOU want to include. Balance activities with quieter days and remember that older kids will probably have their own agenda with their friends as well as needing to be involved in family things. Once you have done this you can identify any spare time (or not) and find it easier to communicate assertively about whether you are free. Bad weather has got in the way for these first couple of weeks and it is draining to be constantly planning outdoor activities for rain to be forecast. We have absolutely no control over the weather, but we can choose how we let the uncertainty affect us. You can choose whether you have a back-up plan for wet days, whether you get a raincoat on and go ahead anyway or whether you decide to be miserable.
Finally, it can be challenging if you have kids of different ages and interests. Some older ones have their own activities planned with their friends and can drop requests for lifts or money on you last minute. Think about how you might manage these, as again you won’t be able to control when they come! Could you set a spending limit for each child for the holidays or perhaps let everyone know when you will be available for lifts for the coming week? Are there any activities that can include the whole family or perhaps, if you can, arrange some things for just one child at a time?
Don’t forget the A-Z of Clutter Control kids coaching challenge from 14th August for two weeks. We look at physical, mental and emotional clutter from a kid’s perspective and materials will be available both in my Facebook group and on YouTube.
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