mOne of the best childhood memories for most of us is from the last day of school, which we should celebrate with boogle with our classmates and giant ice creams. But now when we live it as parents and especially working parents feelings can be mixed when we don’t have three months of vacation or a solid childcare option until our summer vacation begins.
This experience, with which many will surely identify, is shared by the author and mother Kerala Taylor in his new article, published in YourTango, titled “For working parents, summer is anything but no worries».
“When I was young, my parents lived in a relaxed summer setting. It is both teachers. For those, the Summer Heat this is a break time which they deserve, a change of pace, a chance to recover after nine months of intensive disciplining, comforting, dealing with, guiding many children while having difficulties of their own.
»I never thought growing up was possible I lost THE Summer Heat. Not completely, but that, simply, it can be indifferent like other times. That I can take a week off or a weekend off, but my daily routine stays, more or less, the same. So is my wardrobe since, as I’m about to learn, offices maintain constant cold temperatures that require winter clothing.».
His last major vacation was when, after graduating from university, he went on a long trip, five weeks, in South America. From the following year, the intensive workto be followed, a few years later, by maternityfirst to his stepson and later to his biological children.
Although she became a stepmother, months before she welcomed her son, she was afraid: “How will he spend his summer weekend while I work? My partner sometimes has a day off during the week because of his paramedic job, but he uses it to get enough sleep to get through the next 24-hour shift. I usually leave for work around eight in the morning and come back at seven in the evening, which covers the least possible hours that an ambitious person in Washington should work to confirm his commitment and potential.».
“How is he going to spend his summer weekend while I’m working? My partner sometimes has a day off during the week because of his paramedic job, but he uses it to get enough sleep to get through the next 24-hour shift.
They saw a few summers campsbut they found that they lasted at best 8.5 working hours. Many, in fact, have no positions available, even though he started looking in April. Finally, he found a “relatively sustainable, relatively economical, relatively convenient solution. But every summer is accompanied by the same worries, the same puzzles».
When he had and two biological childrenhe began to worry about summer February. “I know that other moms, most if not all with full-time jobs, are already making reservations at “good” camps that I can’t afford. So I waited and worried.
“When the flowers bloomed, it started for me THE COUNT. Every week, I join them Pieces on Summer Heatdeciding who goes where, who drops who off at camp and how many hours early I have to leave the office to pick up the kids in the early afternoon.
“And then, of course, there’s his problem cost in the camps – thousands of dollars, to still have the “privilege” of continuing to work.
»This is the first summer that I didn’t write my children are in no camp and I am filled with fear. My daughter, who is in middle school, said she was too old for camping, and to be honest, I didn’t arrange anything for my son.
“Now I work from home but things are different when we have kids playing in the neighborhood streets. I’ll just take mine out too. Not that I’m afraid they’ll be bored. A healthy dose summer boredom encourage him creativity and curiositybut to have these positive results it is also necessary to have an environment full of options for play – also the presence of other children is decisive».
“A healthy dose of summer boredom can encourage creativity and curiosity, but to have these positive effects there must also be an environment rich in play options – the presence of other children is also important .”
Her son has made some friends in the neighborhood, although most of the children spend their time “whether in front of the screens or in the camps. As families become more isolated, it is a logical consequence that the burden of raising children, which falls disproportionately on women, will increase.».
This summer, “I took two full weeks off, which included baggage preparation and trips by plane and relative. I’m forced to make the most of every minute as I use half of the vacation days I’m entitled to in a year.
“I have two whole weeks off, but that includes packing and traveling by plane with relatives. I feel pressured to make the most of every minute as I use half of the vacation days I’m entitled to in a year.”
»And of course, as summer now also means heat waves, fires and more Natural Disasters, there is likely to be a bad one. I look forward to my holidays, but not with the excitement I feel during the last days of school. I haven’t felt those butterflies in my stomach since I was 21 years old.
“Once I was in front of me TEN wEEK full of summer sunscreen mixed with sweat. Now I see them as a puzzle with missing pieces of destinations, flights and camp programs.