half term – more breaks, shorter summer

It is the last day before the British February half term – a week where the kids don’t go to school but the rest of the working world continues as normal. Makes life even more difficult to juggle the work/home life balance. Luckily, since I work from home, I do not need to find extra childcare or book my kids into out of school clubs. Unfortunately this means I must carry on working with 3 kids around, asking me stuff every 3 minutes or screaming down the stairs for something. I have to take more breaks to entertain, feed, break up fights and of course ‘run’ them. And then there is the full day of friends coming over to play and the obligatory day out somewhere fun and over-priced. It makes for an interesting, hectic, enjoyable (because we get to spend more time together), mildly stressful (due to work deadlines) and very tiring week (or half-term).

It certainly takes a few years to get used to the half term schedules. I always feel they come too early! Just back after a two week Christmas break and already they are off school again for a full week. Then they will go back and then off school again for two weeks at Easter! It does make it easier on the children, but somewhat harder on the parents. With so many breaks during the year, it also means their summer is short. It amazes me that they go to school all the way into most of July. Since it’s not ever really very hot here in July, I can see the logic, but it does make their long endless summer days seem not so endless. This was something that a few American parents commented on in Bringing Up Brits. Some of my best memories of my childhood are from those hot summer days when school seemed like a lifetime away. My parents sent us off to month-long summer camps and the long endless days of freedom made us feel invicible and so so happy.

Good luck to all the parents who are juggling work and childcare next week!

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