School Break

By Allison Berman
December 23, 2008

As a child I always looked forward to school holidays. I was excited to sleep late and catch up with my friends outside of school. Unfortunately, "winter vacation" two words that make children's hearts soar, can send parents into a tailspin.

Why? A full week off from school! Parents scramble to make arrangements for their children. I write my columns in advance, accept fewer painting orders, and make longer turnaround times in anticipation of the chaos. That said there are plenty of things I can't do in advance, and can't put off. I need to go to the grocery store- always fun with 2 kids. Laundry still has to be done. And I try to clean my house as quickly as I can, so I don't give my very creative older daughter the opportunity to decide my toilet bowl brush would make a very cool microphone- gross.

Parents working outside the home don't have it easy either. I remember torturing my mother as a child - calling her at work, telling her I was sick. After a while she caught on and stopped rushing home, but I would imagine my incessant phone calls (over school vacations) might have decreased her productivity. Call it a hunch.

"Work outside" parents try to stave off guilt that they aren't home playing in the snow, baking gingerbread cookies. Little do they know stay-at-home parents are pulling their hair out trying to come up with fun ways to burn off their kid's energy when it is too cold and messy to run around outside. Truth is nobody's making cookies but the elves.

I am making light of the challenges, but vacations throw a real monkey wrench into well organized routines. Growing up my parents both worked outside the home and for some inexplicable reason, their employers didn't give them vacations every time my school was closed (note my sarcasm). My parents encouraged us to make play dates, knowing we would be content and well cared for in their absence.

I always called kids within walking distance first to avoid the transportation issue. Then I would move on to kids who had a parent home to drive them to my house. I carefully avoided kids with parents who resented being the "designated driver" -those were the kids I called last. Fortunately my best friend growing up lived within walking distance, and her mom was great about picking me up and bringing me back to their house when the weather was too junky for me to walk.

This winter vacation whether you are home with the kids or not, take comfort in knowing we all find holiday vacations challenging. Regardless of whether you work outside the home - your routine will be off and the house will be messier simply because your kids are around more. Accept it and move on. If you are home with your children, enjoy the extra time together. And if you are not home, be sure to thank whoever is.

Allison Berman, an artist and mother of two, handpaints custom home accessories for interior designers and private customers. She works out of her home studio in Warwick, NY. See her collection at www.withlovealib.com. She can be reached at ali@withlovealib.com. Her column appears Tuesdays.