What do Edinburgh mums do with high school kids in the holidays?

[PlanetEarth]

Hi all,

I'm fairly new here, hello! .

Anyway, just wondering what any of you working mums do with your high school kids in the holidays? DD starts next year and will be too old for most childcare - we've never used nannies etc., we've used holiday clubs, but I guess nannies are something we could consider - but is it practical to hire one for say a week here and a couple of days there?

A lot of people have said to me that by the time she starts secondary she'll be OK, as she'll be old enough to leave alone. Well, frankly I'm not so sure...... a few hours, yes, or even a day or two, but for several weeks on the trot in the summer? A full week in October? A full week in February? And it will be even worse when DD#2 goes to secondary the year after, if I leave them alone together I will be coming home to WW3 every day .

We have no family nearby, and swapping childcare with other families isn't practical as I won't be able to reciprocate. Any thoughts?

I like the sound of "behaviour contract"!

Not sure if they would be embarrassed by a nanny or not, to be honest their embarrassment is low on my priority list - it's just that 11/12 does seem awfully young to be left to their own devices...

I guess there are often activities on, though they seem to be mainly in the summer and also I would have to trust them to go there and back themselves. They'll be going to school and back themselves but then that will be a regular thing. We shall see...