I\u2019ve just had two weeks off work, and it\u2019s the longest stretch I\u2019ve managed since I went freelance. As I returned to my projects, everyone was quick to ask the standard \u201chow was your break? question. But here\u2019s the thing, I\u2019m not sure a holiday with two small children qualifies as a break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I used to take holidays to have downtime, to relax, to reset my energy levels and focus. If I was lucky, to explore new parts of the world. They\u2019re important, critical even, for your health and wellbeing. I read books, got up late, wandered for miles, ate new foods, got massively lost and generally had a great time. At this stage of life, I take time off work to do the parenting rollercoaster more intensively, often from a tricker location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, I put my out-of-office on, and I didn\u2019t do any actual work, but the word break suggests relaxation, downtime and the ability to come back refreshed. Lots of research has outlined the mental and physical benefits of a holiday \u2013 decreased stress levels, decreased blood pressure and better sleep for starters, but when you have caring responsibilities, your time isn\u2019t your own. That photo of us at a castle, for instance, doesn\u2019t capture the 20-minute negotiation with our youngest about going to the bathroom before we left, or our oldest pulling his early-onset teenage sigh and arguments of \u201cdo we really have to?\u201d Or the 3kg backpack we lug everywhere with water, snacks, sun cream, coats, a change of clothes and whole host of other kids\u2019 paraphernalia. You plan your days around the kids, you can\u2019t not, how far it is to walk, when their mealtimes are, whether you can convince them to actually do the activity. You spend most of those days riding an emotional rollercoaster alongside them of ecstasy and tragedy and not a lot in between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Social media, the wider media and online groups don\u2019t always help. People posting idyllic photos, the lists of must-do attractions to visit, the guilt that summer holidays are limited and that precious memories should be made. There\u2019s been quality time, don\u2019t get me wrong, and we\u2019ve lots of magical moments but restful, it was not. I really value the people in my life who admit to, and celebrate, the messiness of parenthood. That no-one really knows what they\u2019re doing and we\u2019re all making it up as we go along \u2013 some days more successfully than others!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, shout out to all the parents and carers who\u2019ve survived their summer holiday rollercoaster so far \u2013 there\u2019s just two weeks left and counting. For most of us it\u2019s been a constant juggle of compromises. Squeezing work into even more limited time than usual and using that break to swap work for full-time parenting adds an intensity to life that I didn’t understand before I became a parent. I\u2019m relieved summer is nearly over and the reliable routine can restart and at the same I\u2019m sad to end the time with kids because in amongst the arguments, negotiations and meltdowns there\u2019s been a lot of joy and laughter. Like all other times, parenting in holidays is complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Photo by roman raizen<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019ve just had two weeks off work, and it\u2019s the longest stretch I\u2019ve managed since I went freelance. As I returned to my projects, everyone was quick to ask the standard \u201chow was your break? question. But here\u2019s the thing, I\u2019m not sure a holiday with two small children qualifies as a break….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[37],"tags":[13,11,15,12,21,25,10],"class_list":["post-522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-development","tag-charity","tag-consultant","tag-founder","tag-freelance","tag-non-profit","tag-self-employment","tag-start-up-2"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t