Kids’ school breaks make work-play juggling harder | Apr 16th 2007
By Jacqueline Dooley
I often wish I could take time off more spontaneously in response to events that make it difficult to put in a full week’s worth of work. For example, both my girls were home this week because of spring break. My older daughter is in kindergarten and this is a pretty big schedule shift for her.
My youngest daughter goes to a childcare program at BOCES, which is also closed for spring break. She only goes a few days a week, so staying home all week is really no big deal for her. She’s used to being home with her father while I work upstairs.
The big challenge is having both girls home together all week. The little one is used to having some time to herself and the older one actually misses school. This is the first time she’s been really, truly bored.
They are both getting in each other’s hair while I work upstairs listening to it all and wishing I could do something with them. But there are some weeks I just can’t break away. I’m going to be away all next week at a conference, plus the first week of the month is my busiest time.
I used to think it would be easy to take time off since I work for myself, but it’s often the opposite that’s true.
My husband and I have had many conversations about what we should do when our kids get older in terms of extracurricular activities. We agreed to keep each girl in one extracurricular activity of their choosing and keep their schedules fairly open during vacations and weekends.
When I came to the above conclusion, my older daughter was about three. At that point in time, she was quite content with playing with stuffed animals and contemplating her navel.
Now she doesn’t miss an opportunity to tell me she’s bored and ask me to do something with her. I love that she wants to spend time with me, but I hate the guilt. I’m also realizing that what may be right for one stage of a child’s life isn’t necessarily going to be what’s right for another.
That’s how I found myself scheduling her week, much the way I schedule my own week. A play date on Tuesday, gymnastics camp on Wednesday and Thursday (with her little sister along for the latter), a sleepover at grandma’s from Thursday to Friday and I’m home free (or rather, work free) by Saturday.
Not like the past
When did this happen? Is this a working mom thing or a typical parenting thing? I remember playing outside during school breaks, or coloring or reading. Well, OK, she can’t read yet so I’ll give her that.
This short break is making me realize that I’ll need to plan better for things like summer vacations and holidays. I don’t want to keep missing them. In retrospect, I wish I would’ve scheduled a few days off this week even though I’ll be away next week so I could spend time coloring, playing outside and reading with both my girls.
To this end, I have hired three subcontractors over the past couple of weeks to help me get my work done. I think this is a good way to build a safety net so my business can stand to be without me for a few days (and vice versa). Hopefully, this will ensure that I can enjoy more than a few lazy days of summer with my girls, instead of working through all the fun stuff.
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This article was published in the Poughkeepsie Journal on Saturday, April 7, 2007.