How to survive the school holidays

One week into the June school holidays, and you might already be asking yourself when will it all end!

There is nothing kids love more than the school holidays. No homework, no waking up in the early hours of the morning, and no tests!

On the other hand, there is nothing parents love more than sending their kids off to school, as aside from them getting a good education, it keeps them out of their hair.

So the school holidays can really test your patience.

Here are some of the things children do during the holidays that drive moms crazy – and how to overcome them.

They eat all the food!

Have you ever noticed how you spend more money on groceries during the school holidays? That’s because your kid has suddenly become a human garbage disposal – eating anything, and everything in sight. 

The best way to tackle the munchies, is to only allow your kids to eat healthy snacks inbetween meals. Keep a fruit basket in the kitchen, and clear all goodies from the junk food draw! Kids, like adults, usually eat out of boredom, and there is really nothing else for them to do. 

Think about how many times you open the fridge when you are at home all day – even if you know there is nothing worth eating inside! Keep your kids busy, and their minds off food with some fun activities. (See the link at the end of the story for some tips). 

They hog the remote whenever they are home

Another seriously bad habit during the school holidays is kids watching TV all day! The first thing they do when they wake up is turn on the TV to play video games or watch their favourite cartoons. 

Hours later, you find them in the exact same spot. They even refuse to let go of the remote when your favourite soapies come on at night! Break the TV habit by setting time limits on when they can watch TV. Think of fun things they can do around the house (like wash windows – kidding!) or backyard. If you have young kids, set up an art station similar to the one at their school, so they can keep themselves busy. 

If all else fails, just shoot your TV – again, just kidding! Try removing it from the socket – it will take them at least an hour to figure out what you have done!

They avoid their chores

During the school holidays, children become too lazy to even lift a finger. They think up all sorts of excuses as to why they cannot do any of their chores. 

The best way to handle this is to give them direct orders like, “I need the dishes to be washed in 30 minutes or you have to go to bed 30 minutes earlier” or “your TV time will be cut by 30 minutes”. 

That will certainly get them motivated. Also set a certain time for cleaning in the morning – usually after breakfast – so that everyone knows the cleaning schedule. You could also consider giving them an allowance, which will come in handy for our next annoying habit. 

They constantly want to go to the mall

It is like the mall becomes their second home during the school holidays. And unless you recently won the lotto, there is no way you will be taking your children to the mall throughout the holidays – especially when eating out and the price of a movie ticket costs an arm and a leg. 

The best thing to do is encourage them to use their allowance (from all those chores) if they want to go to the mall (which will probably be once a week as opposed to every other day if they are paying) or rather invite their friends over for a movie day at home or a pool day – if you have a swimming pool. 

They tell you how bored they are at least 100 times a day