With two daughters, one at school and one at pre-school, this summer term is busy, busy, busy. A quick scan through the next few weeks of my diary shows two sports days, two fetes, two parents’ meetings, two new school visits, two school trips…. the list goes on and on. Instead of gearing down at the end of the school year, we will be non-stop and certainly in need of the summer holiday to recover. So, in order to avoid a total summer term burnout, we’re implementing the following three Golden Rules.
Rule 1: Get Organised
I’m writing everything in the diary so I can see at a glance who’s meant to be where and when, and which events are likely to clash or cause too many late bedtimes. This should avoid the last minute panic to find a bottle of something for the school tombola, or discovering the P.E. kit is in the wash on Sports Day.
Rule 2: Set a Budget
The summer term is the school’s last chance to get parents to part with fund raising cash so it can turn out to be an expensive time of year. Whilst I’m all for supporting the school, we’re also trying to save for our summer holiday so by setting a budget I can decide which events we’ll support and which we’ll give a miss. Giving the kids a fixed amount to spend at the school fete works well for us too – helping them learn about managing their own finances and minimising pester power attempts to buy yet another worn out teddy from the toy stall.
Rule 3: Say No
This coming weekend there are six events on offer to us, including two late nights for the girls. So I’m giving myself permission to say no and not feel obliged to attend everything. We’re choosing the events the kids will really enjoy and sending our apologies for the others.
What’s it like at your school? Is this summer term as busy as ours? How does your family manage to do it all and not burn out by the last day of term?
Mumable Author: Cathy James
