How Parents Can Stay Sane During the Kids’ School Holidays

Let’s face it. No matter how much we love our children, sometimes we do best when getting them in small doses. As the school holidays approach, most parents tend to have mixed emotions. While they are eagerly looking forward to spending more time with them, they are also aware of the fact that too much of a good thing is just that – too much! So, if your kids have more energy than you ever remember having and are looking for ways to stay sane during school holidays, here are some things you might want to try.

1. Plan, Shop, Organize

It is always easier to go shopping without the kids for a few reasons. Typically, you will not make it through the store without them asking for everything in sight that sparks an interest. Then, as you are looking at stock on shelves, you turn around and the cart is full of things they’ve snuck in while you were focused elsewhere. The best advice if you want to stay sane during school holidays is to plan well ahead, do your shopping and then organize supplies so you can get to them quickly as needed.

2. Take Time for Yourself

This may seem like it’s taken out of sequence, but the one thing we often forget to do as parents is schedule downtime for ourselves. If you really want to get through the holidays without a major meltdown, make sure that you get at least one evening away from the kids each week and an hour or so every day. Do what you like doing best. Go online to bestusaonlinecasinos.com to find a casino that has poker or slots or something you like to play for a bit of recreation. You may not be able to leave the kids, but while they are taking their downtime, you can have yours!

3. Plan a Daily Activity for the Kids

Most parents find that scheduling one activity a day usually works best in mid mornings. After the kids have had breakfast, tidied up their rooms (hopefully without more than a bit of coercion!), and dressed for the day, you might want to go for an outing. There are plenty of things to do that don’t cost a lot of money but parks and play areas seem to be their favorite. Let them run and bounce as much as possible before returning home to lunch. Once they’ve eaten, and depending upon their ages, you can either schedule nap time or downtime. Chances are even the older kids will sleep a bit if you’ve given them the right amount of activity in the morning.

Moms and dads, it’s all about planning ahead. You know what your kids like to do so you can schedule activities where they take turns doing what they like best. But remember! When they are down for the count in an afternoon, after lunch, this is the perfect time to take a few minutes for yourself. The dishes, vacuuming, washing, and other chores will be there in an hour. No one is going to come take them from you! So, take a bit of R&R while the kids are settled in, and everyone will be the happier for it.