Working parent life can come with many challenges, and it tends to be even more challenging during the summer holidays. Most parents would love to take two months off to spend time in the sunshine with their children, but sadly this is rarely an option. Instead they have to juggle work and parenting without any school, and sometimes it can feel a bit overwhelming.
Thankfully there are a few things you and your family can do to make the work life balance a little easier. This allows you to work while also enjoying some holiday time with your family!
Here are six tips to help you balance work and children during the summer holidays.
1. How To Balance Work And Children During The Summer Holidays: Consider Working Flexible Hours
The first thing you can do is see if flexible hours are an option for you. If you own a small business you can see if it is possible to change your daily working hours, and if you work for a company you can ask your manager about this. Most businesses do offer flexitime now, which means you can be at home when it really matters. This could be in the afternoon for a visit to the swimming pool, or it could be during the mornings if your partner works early shifts. Whatever is best for your family!
2. Use Your Holiday Hours
You may also want to take advantage of your holiday hours during summer. Most companies offer at least 28 days of holiday a year, so you could consider taking a few days or weeks off to be with your family. This may feel difficult if you own your own business (as it may not be paid holiday), but it is likely you will save money on childcare during this time.
3. Juggle The Parenting
It can also be helpful to juggle the parenting. For instance, you could take one week off to be with the children, and then your partner could take the second week off to be with them. This means that neither of you have to totally step away from work, and there is always a working parent providing the family with income.
4. Don’t Say Yes To Too Many Things
If you are worried about how to balance work and children during the summer holidays, don’t say yes to too many things. If there is a big project coming up you could ask if another employee can do it – or you could offer to complete the project in autumn. It can be difficult to say no, but ultimately this will allow you to spend more time with your family and less time stressing about work.
5. Ask For Help
Some parents struggle to ask for help, but in reality it is likely there are lots of people in your life who can occasionally help out. Grandparents, aunts and uncles may be able to help on super busy days, and if not childcare is always an option. Don’t feel like you have to carry the weight alone if there are people who are happy to help you!
6. See If You Can Work From Home
Finally you may want to see if you can work from home during summer. It can be very difficult to juggle parenting and working at the same time, but if you reduce your hours it is possible to do both. Sure, this isn’t the most ideal option, but it means you can save money on childcare without having to totally step away from your career or business.
Parenting during summer isn’t always easy, but remember it is just for a month or two. Once summer ends things can go back to normal. So breathe, and go easy on yourself!
