SCHOOL holidays, or indeed any holiday, can be a wonderful time for the family. But it can also easily turn into a nightmare.
For families that smartly plan for it, they'd probably end up with memories to cherish for a long time. But for those who don't, chances are their holidays would probably be something they'd rather forget.
It's important that parents discuss with their children about the need to set up temporary rules and limits during a holiday.
All available times should be filled with meaningful and beneficial activities so that they're not wasted away by watching television or playing computer games all day.
The extra time they get can be used to acquire a new skill or knowledge, such as language, music or art. They can also attend leadership camps or motivational courses.
Those who have major exams coming up can use this time to catch up by having a proper schedule to focus on subjects that need attention. The key is to involve everyone in the planning and let them create their own schedules.
FINDING A BALANCE
For parents who work, lack of planning may lead to panic.
"But there's so much to do at the office. How can I possibly take some time off now?"
This may be the question that rears its head for them, which they, in turn, use as their justification for staying longer in the office.
Each employee is entitled to a certain number of days off per year. Let's use this benefit. I have personally come across numerous cases of employees who had to forgo their annual leave, either by choice or otherwise.
There's something wrong with this picture because they're either unable to find the work-life balance or their jobs are too demanding. Whatever the case, this may not be good in the long-term as far as family relationships are concerned.
There are also those who complain that it's getting far too expensive to take the family out these days. That may be true, but only partially, because not everything costs a lot of money. If we look hard enough, there are still plenty of family activities that cost almost nothing, but come with a huge rate of return.
ANSWERING THE CALL
Whatever the barrier is, there are always ways to overcome it. If we really want to spend some uninterrupted time with the family, we can almost feel and hear our kids crying out for our attention.
There'll be no peace in our heart until we talk to the boss about taking some time off and ask him to start looking for a temporary replacement.
Do it the right way and we'd be surprised at how supportive others around us can be.
If possible, plan ahead so they can have a good lead time to make the necessary preparations.
Then, we can go off with peace of mind, knowing that we're on our way to answering our children's calls while temporarily leaving our obligations at the office in good and capable hands.
Zaid Mohamad coaches and trains parents to experience happier homes and more productive workplaces. Reach him at [email protected].
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