Balancing Work & the Kids’ Spring Break
by Lorraine C. Ladish
Living in Florida, I kind of dread spring break. My beloved beach, where I go running to unwind after a hard day of work, is out of bounds for the entire month of March. Partying spring-breakers lie on the sand, surf the waves and mingle in bars, while I look on, envying their carefree laughter and suntanned legs. Because as a working mom, my own kids’ spring break doesn’t translate into a vacation for me—it just means more work! Not only do I have to contend with editorial planning, writing deadlines and social media interaction, but I have to do it with three kiddos in the house. That also entails heightened levels of mom-guilt when one of them inevitably asks at some point, “What are we going to do today?” and all I can answer is: “I don’t know; I have to work!”
Of course I tell myself that I’m not a bad mother just because I can’t play Monopoly with them all day or take them to an amusement park instead of making a living. And naturally I remind myself how lucky I am to telecommute, as my kids can actually be with me while I work. But the flipside is that because I’m home, they can also tell me they’re hungry, moan about being bored and yell at one another, all within earshot. All this makes working during spring break a little more challenging than usual.
Other moms on social media have shared that they also stress about what to do with the kiddos during their vacation time since they also don’t have the luxury of taking time off.
Here are some suggestions for surviving your kids’ spring break:
- If you work in an office setting and can’t afford childcare, ask to telecommute for that week. Alternatively, find a group of working moms and each of you request to take a day off from work and care for your collective brood. If all fails, ask your spouse or ex-spouse to be the one to take time off or telecommute.
- If you can pony up the money, find a cool camp they could attend for the week. It will bring peace of mind to all involved and they will learn a new skill and perhaps make new friends.
- If you work from home and can’t splurge on day camp, then rearrange your schedule for the week. Instead of putting in my regular non-stop hours, I divide the day. What works for me is to let the kids watch TV or otherwise entertain themselves in the early morning while I toil away, and then we spend the middle of the day doing a fun family activity all together. While they unwind after dinner, I return to my computer until past midnight.
- Which brings me to: Let them watch TV! Allow them to indulge in electronics. As a former no-TV mom who would freak out if the babies so much as caught a glimpse of a commercial, I’ve had to ease up on this one. I now realize a little bit of TV never hurt anyone.
Read more here: http://www.mamiverse.com/parents-balancing-work-spring-break-kids-35835/
Article from: http://www.mamiverse.com/