To find school holidays such a slog especially when the last half term at school was only 5 weeks long!?

[Elfie23]

I do tend to struggle with half terms now DD is at secondary school and doesn’t attend the kids clubs any more (I always take a few days off too). I’ve taken a couple of days off this time to try and break it up a bit. She’s 11 and not yet great at organising stuff with friends even though I’ve really encouraged and reminded her leading up to the holidays.
So I find myself with a full time job trying to also organise for her so she’s not bored out her mind or getting FOMO about what others are doing.
Urgh, does it get any easier at any point!

A)Half term is just an expression used to mean such holidays
B) School is not childcare but society is set up to treat it as such therefore it can be extremely stressful and expensive trying to organise an alternative to keep working and paying the bills

Whoopee doo? Want a medal?

It's Easter holidays and you only have one child.

She did though. I don't personally care but this is why people have posted.

'I do tend to struggle with half terms now DD is at secondary school and doesn’t attend the kids clubs any more (I always take a few days off too).'

This arguement is so boring. You can state school isn't childcare all you like but it actually is, otherwise how would most parents work? School holiday are difficult to manage and people are allowed to say so.

Next year Easter is a week earlier. Don't say you weren't warned.

Try having 3 children over the Easter holidays OP 🤣

Quite.
it’s so depressing.

My DD is 15 and this is the first school holiday where she's actively asked me not to arrange anything at all. Firstly she needs a rest, secondly she has lyrics and songs to learn for a musical she's in and third she has her yr 10 tests to revise for. She's said if she has any free time, she'll meet up with friends. She's said similar for the summer holidays, she wants to do the theatre workshops available an,d get started on revising for her GCSEs.

So @Elfie23 from my experience you still have a few years left of being entertainments manager! Find her a new hobby to sink-her-teeth into.

I have two, but I would assume if you only have one there is more need to entertain them as they have no siblings to hang-out with.

What on earth leads you to think this person speaks for a nation?

Hi OP, I relate, my tweenage girls are driving me nuts.

What is? That this individual (with no representative position for Britain, that we are aware of) is struggling to entertain her kid while also holding down a full time job? Have a word with yourself.

Why have children then? Hopefully you can use the holidays as a time to have fun together … baking, shopping together, crafting, watch a film? I’m sure your daughter will love spending time with you.

I know, it was damn difficult to wedge all the work required into the last half term.

As a teacher (albeit a head of department) all I have to do over the Easter holidays is:

1. Plan a whole new unit for GCSE - write a Scheme of Work and make all the lessons
2. Plan 30 intervention sessions to revise for Year 11 to revise GCSE
3. Plan 12 lessons for Year 9
4. Plan 12 lessons for Year 8

I'm not sure people understand that the 'holidays' are when we get all the things done we can't do while teaching all the time.

Most people don’t get 13 weeks holiday from their full time job.

Comments like this are so unhelpful. It’s ok to say it’s hard to manage childcare during school holidays alongside having to work a job, too. It wasn’t always like this as you’ll already know; nowadays the average UK family household are likely to require two incomes, instead of the olden days of having kids on one income and the community coming together to look after the kids when required. OP is rightly saying it’s often tricky to juggle both, and your glib ‘why have kids then’ just smacks of being mean.

Thank you to those whose comments were supportive and understanding that it’s not as easy as some make out! Working full time while trying to make sure DD is happy and entertained is hard work! And yes she can have a day here and there where she’ll have to deal with being bored but being bored for 2 weeks isn’t fun especially if friends are away or already have other plans.

Also - who cares about half term/ school holiday whatever you want to call it - the kids are off school 🤣

I have an 11 year old daughter ( still at primary , though refuses most clubs now) - it is hard, especially with an only as you are the entertainment. Mine came wandering in to my office today while I was in the middle of a meeting to show me something on her iPad even though I’d told her v firmly not to. I had the afternoon off and we went to the cinema so she only had to occupy herself for a few hours. I’m trying more half days rather than fewer full days off to see if it helps for that reason. Most of her friends are on holiday though she did see one yesterday. Luckily she’s in a show next week and rehearsals start tomorrow so that’s a few days taken care of. You are not alone in finding it difficult OP. As ever it depends on your child and your family, those with more self-sufficient children / more than one will not understand.

Mind you, no one forced you to have a child

Only a generation or two ago, it was seen as fine to kick the kids out to play all day, even when they were still in primary. And it was unusual for mums to work FT, plus most mums had a husband and extended family nearby to help. Malls/youth clubs etc aren't necessarily available. Only saying this as life really does seem harder these days, OP.

Shes 11 - shes old enough to entertain herself or just hang out and be a bit bored!

Also sorry but - their life should be more than school or clubs to get them out of your way so you can work. I really cant imagine what there is to struggle with, caring for a single 11 year old - i think you may have other problems which you need to tackle.

So many unnecessary comments on this thread, clearly a lot of bored posters with nothing better to do.

Many parents find juggling school holidays around work a challenge. My 12 yr old still will go to a club but it’s a shorter day, we can wfh & Im p/t which helps.

This it only work if there are other children to hang about with, a solo 11year old is vunerable. I think one of the problems is that many families use the bank holidays to go away or parents are working. I can only tell you what worked for mine at that age....

Dd lived at the stables which was a 2 minute drive from my work at 11 she was jist starting to help out with the yoinger ones.

DS enjoyed bowling, those trampoline parks, skating, climbing walls, badminton etc, I did try to do " child care swaps" with his bestie ( whose Mum was also a Dr- handy).Grandparents would often give a couple of days....

Facilitate things for the next 3-4 years, i.e. when she’s 14/15?? DD is almost 13 and I do little to no organising for her (wondering if I’m a bad parent now😂).

She books things online with her friends without my direct involvement beyond putting money on her card, will generally get public transport or walk to her various outings (I will drive and pick up if it’s late or a location poorly served by public transport) and she cooks basic dishes for herself and her friends when they visit eg pasta, omelettes. Once she started refusing to attend holiday activity camps I made it clear to her that I expected her to sort these things out herself.

OP - 11 is a tricky in between stage and I understand your point. She will be much more independent within a year or so.