The school summer holidays – Expectation vs Reality
It’s the school summer holidays. Each year, parents prepare themselves for their children being at home for six weeks. Each year they anticipate how they’d like to spend those six weeks. Then each year it pretty much all goes tits up.
The school summer holidays – Expectation vs Reality
1. Expectation – After a school year of having to drag protesting kids out of bed every day for school and forcing them to quickly eat something, you’re looking forward to you all getting to have some lovely lie-ins and relaxed breakfasts.
Reality – The kids are up at the crack of dawn every goddamn morning and, before you’ve even properly opened your eyes, are demanding to be fed.
2. Expectation – Without school runs and after school club pick ups you’ll have more time to get things done around the house.
Reality – The house permanently looks like a bomb went off in it and your washing pile is 3 times the size it normally is.
3. Expectation – You won’t have to buy much more food than usual. Your kids usually barely eat breakfast and half their packed lunch comes home uneaten each day.
Reality – Your grocery shopping bill will go through the roof. Suddenly these kids are eating like they’re bodybuilders in training. They’re eating 2 breakfasts, 3 lunches and a snack approximately every 14 minutes.
4. Expectation – You have more than one kid so, as they have a playmate, they’ll be able to entertain each other while you get stuff done.
Reality – You’ll spend approximately 93% of their waking hours being a referee and breaking up fights between them.
5. Expectation – You’ll do some lovely activities together at home, like baking and arts and crafts.
Reality – You’ll start an activity, the kids will get bored almost immediately, you’ll end up finishing up and clearing up by yourself and you’ll still be finding glitter in random places 6 months later.
6. Expectation – You’ll get lots of fresh air and exercise by going on exciting bike rides and for lovely long nature walks.
Reality – You almost have to prise the tablets out of your kids’ hands to make them leave the house and, when you do get them outside, it’ll inevitably absolutely hammer down with rain.
7. Expectation – You’ll spend quality time together as a family on some lovely days out.
Reality – You’ll spend an absolute fortune on entry tickets and all the kids want to do is go to the gift shop. You’ll lug around a picnic all day and then there will be tantrums because you won’t spend £15 on a hot dog. At least the drive home will be in silence though as there will no doubt be a massive row and everyone will fall out and not be talking to each other.
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