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The kids summer holidays

It's 9.30pm on the first day of the kids summer holidays and I'm absolutely shattered. Even a day that consisted of a boxing class, riding bikes with their cousin, and swimming lessons, did not tire them out sufficiently. I was ready for a nap at 1 o clock but not the kids! I'd hoped they would all go to sleep at 7.30pm, seeing as they've been awake since 6am! They finally all fell asleep at 9.20pm!

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Am I stressing about this too much?

Tomorrow is another day of keeping them all occupied. What I really need to do is go food shopping but the thought of taking three kids along makes me want to reach for those out of date tins in the back of my food cupboard.
Am I stressing about this too much? Am I falling into the trap that most modern parents fall into? The one where parents plan too many activities for their kids and then the kids can't keep themselves occupied as they don't know how. I think I might be heading in that direction!

My childhood

When I think back to my childhood and my school holidays I certainly don't remember being taken out for activities every day. I'm sure my parents didn't sit down each evening and plan ways of keeping us busy the next day. My mum is a teacher and always used to have the half terms and summer breaks with us.

Cleaning windows and gardening

I seem to remember doing a lot of dusting, cleaning windows and gardening. We also spent a lot of time in DIY shops and garden centres. It was probably the only time my busy mum got to sort the house out so we were damn well going to join in. My mum has always been a creative and talented person and I remember going to a local arts workshop and making batik paintings with her. A couple of years later she taught me how to do them at home. As a teenager I remember a couple of summers where me and my sisters helped sew and pack clothing labels for my dad's factory. I think you can see a pattern here.

Life skills

My parents pretty much got us involved in whatever they were doing at the time. We were occasionally taken on trips and when we were a bit older we started going on family holidays, but there sure as hell wasn't any activity schedule that dictated each day of our school holidays. Now that I'm a grown up and into health and fitness, I wish that they'd pushed me to pursue some kind of sport as a child. But what I did learn from all the randomness of my school summer holidays were some very important lessons. How to be creative, the basics of running a business, how to work as a team with my family, how to cook (my dad taught me how to cook during the summer of 1990!), how to manage a home and how to assemble flat pack furniture like a pro (my dad would routinely get me to do this!). In other words I learnt life skills. I also learnt to amuse myself by writing stories and entering a fantasy make believe world with my sisters and cousins. It was either that or be bored out of brains. Children's TV wasn't on 24/7 when I was a kid and even if it had been we wouldn't have been allowed to watch it.

Step back and keep it real

Sometimes it's hard not to get swept into the madness of modern parenting. This often ends up with some very spoiled kids who think the world revolves around them. I think I've answered my own questions. I am stressing too much, as are many other mums in my situation. Sometimes it's good to take a step back and keep it real. We will take our kids on trips and to swimming lessons and the like but if all we are doing tomorrow is food shopping and laundry then the kids have to be onboard with that. I"m sure it will come in handy at some point in life.

MummyImperfect X