I love school holidays. LOVE them! While I often hear mums (and the occasional harassed Grandma!) complaining about the kids being underfoot during the holidays, I can’t get enough of them. I’m like a kid at Christmas, counting down the days till the school holidays arrive.
School holidays mean that the pace of life slows down dramatically. The routine relaxes. The kids can wake up when they’re ready instead of me stirring them out of bed at 7 every morning. (And yes, my kids are ones that sleep till I wake them up. But the trade – off is that they stay awake at night in their shared bedroom, giggling and chattering long after the lights are out).
I love the morning routine during school holidays. I wake up early, when Michael leaves for work at 5 am. I lie in bed for a little while, then I get up, and it’s my time. I spend it in reading, prayer and reflection, and journalling, centering and balancing myself for the day. It’s my favourite time of the day. Sometimes I wrap myself up in a blanket, go outside, and sit under the stars as the sky lightens – yeah, I know, crazy, hey?! Sometimes I sit and watch the sun creep over the mountain on the east side of our house. It’s a time to be thankful for the multiple blessings of my life, and indeed, I am grateful.
It all comes to an end when the kids erupt from bed. The peace is shattered, never to return that day. But that’s one of the blessings, isn’t it? To have children around you, to hear their laughter and chatter, and know that they are healthy and happy and full of life. You wouldn’t have it any other way. (Although sometimes when you sink wearily into bed after a fourteen hour day, you wish that it wasn’t QUITE so lively!)
During the holidays, the kids can play for a while before breakfast if they want. It allows me a bit of extra time for reading or journalling – I love being able to leave that time at my own pace. It was one of the things that I missed the most when I became a Road Mum, bound by routine, timetables and the time on the road. I love being able to “drift” through mornings, not rushing, not stressed, just beginning the day at a leisurely pace.
After breakfast, the kids go off to play together. Being 5 and 7, they are close enough in age to be good playmates, and most of the time they get along well. (I probably only have to sort out 25 squabbles per day! Or maybe it’s really only a couple…) When we had the kids, it was hard work for a couple of years, because they are only 2 years and 4 months apart, but it was my hope that they would become mates and play together because they are close in age, and it has worked out that way. I often wonder how it would have been if they were the same gender. TD is probably lucky he had a sister rather than a brother, or his life (and ours!) might have been a lot less peaceful. I know of a number of adult brothers who didn’t get along until later life, because as children they were too busy competing with each other.
The day unfolds in a peaceful round of household jobs, punctuated by the occasional screech, which inevitably results in Rosie stomping up with an outraged account of her brother’s latest offence. So I have to play judge, jury and jailer, and once the dust has settled, the apologies have been made, and peace restored, they go back to playing again as if nothing has happened! They are good at making their own fun, and as we have limits on the amount of screen time they are allowed, and limited funds for other kinds of entertainment, they play outside and use their imaginations. They play with their pets, climb trees, build cubby houses out of whatever is at hand, and get up to (innocent!) mischief. Their happy squeals and delighted giggles add music to my day, and I love having both of them home with me.
I’ve found that if they start to squabble, or misbehave, it’s usually due to one of two things. They are either bored or hungry. It’s a sure sign of lunchtime approaching when they start arriving with their grievances. It’s amazing what a difference food makes!
Likewise, if they are bored, a change of scenery or activity makes a big difference. It gives them a new focus and a new direction for their energies. This morning, TD wanted to do some jobs for me, so he organized Rosie, and they set to work wiping down the outside of the kitchen cupboard doors, and the outside of the fridge. I told them that if they did a good job, I would pay them – and they did. I’m happy to teach them about working, and it’s good for them to see that work can be rewarding. Having said that, there are also a number of jobs they do just because they are part of the family, and someone has to do those jobs. And now I have clean cupboards. And I didn’t have to do it myself. School holidays are great :-).
The teachers at TD’s school know that I am as keen for the holidays as they are, and they often joke with me about it. I don’t think there’s any other parent at the school who gets as excited about holidays as I do.
To be honest, I get really tired during the term. The routine wears me out. Although I recognize the value of routine, I find it tiring. It’s tiring to have to be constantly managing time, working to a schedule. I need holidays to “drift”, and let time become a minor matter. Holidays give it the place it deserves – low on my radar screen. During holidays, I become the master of time, not the other way around. It’s the way it should be.
I’ve had to develop various coping strategies for dealing with the stress that sticking to a fairly tight schedule inevitably brings. Almost my entire working day is squeezed into the time between school drop off in the morning, and pick up in the afternoon, and it’s just not long enough to get everything done. That creates stress, especially as others place expectations on me regarding the work I should be doing. So holidays are most certainly a fantastic time to just do my work at my own pace.
There are things that I think I will do during the holidays – ok, I’ll be honest, I procrastinate, and put them off till then! But the dilemma is that I won’d actually get a rest if I spend the holidays catching up on jobs that I didn’t get done during the term. It’s a balancing act. I’m actually very grateful that the kids had a burst of helpfulness this morning and cleaned the cupboards and the fridge for me. It was a job that needed doing, and every time I noticed it, I had that sense of unease about it – yet another job that needed my attention. (But not enough unease to actually prioritize doing it!)
Rosie is still at home with me during the term, and I’m giving her a head start with reading. She was too young to start school at the beginning of the year, being only 4 still, but now she’s ready – and demanding academic satisfaction! She devours every opportunity to learn, whether it be with reading, or cooking, or piano. She chatters and sings incessantly throughout the day, until sometimes my head is spinning, so holidays are wonderful for her, too. She has a playmate, and she looks forward to that. When TD is at school, I’m the next best thing, and when the chatter is flowing I can totally forget any job that involves any kind of thinking!
All too soon the holidays will come to an end, but for now, we are making the most of each precious moment. The days of childhood are all too brief, and I want my kids to have happy memories of making their own fun and enjoying the holidays at home. And I am cherishing the time spent with them.