This month our blog has been written by the co-founder of Pink Spaghetti, Vicky Matthews, who has two children, Holly and Tom.
The thought of the long school holidays can fill working parents with dread. For myself it is very much a period of juggling, however if you plan ahead it can be a lovely time to step back a bit and enjoy precious time with your children.
My children are aged eleven and seven so I know just how challenging it is to balance business and children during school holidays. There is no ‘right’ way; you must find what works best for you. Over the years I have tried most options and this summer my kids will spend two days a week at different holiday clubs, which they love, however we have had to try lots of different ones to get to this point!
Most of the time it is a balancing act and there will be times when you have to change your plans at the last minute because something urgent comes in. However on the whole if you can try to keep things simple and not over commit you can get a good balance over the holidays. Trying to perform both roles simultaneously does not often work and I have tried working on a laptop while my kids were nearby doing what kids do and it just doesn’t work, so dedicate your full attention to one thing or the other where possible (however I know this is not always possible and I am often guilty of just quickly checking my emails when I should be doing something else!).
Here are my top tips on juggling over the school holidays: