Summertime Sadness

The six-week summer holidays are a break. They are intended to be a time for making memories - for children to rest, recoup and spend quality time with their families. Instead, myself, and many parents I know, are struggling to make ends meet. We are filled with dread about how to cope once our children are home for a prolonged period of time.

Whilst some families are indeed fortunate enough to be able to afford summer camps, days out, and larger grocery deliveries, for many like me, this is just a pipe dream.

Our homes should be a place of peace and love, but when we are worried about how to afford a food shop, or when a simple trip to the coffee shop costs over £15, the countdown to the school gates reopening comes to the forefront of our minds. Anxiety and depression kick in quickly, and rather than being the positive, happy parent I know I am – I become a shell of myself. As a mother, I do not want to wish the days away or spend time just thinking of ways to cope – I want to enjoy the time we have together, and to cherish my children while they are small.

There are, of course, ways to keep the children somewhat entertained indoors, but they also need to be out in the open – engaging with other children and adults, and developing their social skills with their peers. Anyone who has children knows that even the most basic outings can add up, similarly as children grow, they need to eat more, which increases the overall bill for food. We are crushed financially, our water bill has increased in the warm weather, as showers are needed frequently in the heatwaves. Fans need to be on constantly for cool air and to regulate the children’s bedroom, and food is becoming spoiled more quickly, meaning we need to replace items we simply don’t have the income to do so.

Spinning plates is the only way I can accurately describe parenting during the summer break – trying our best to raise healthy and happy children is a task which shouldn’t be made harder because our economic situation is poor.

Summer camps are a great way to offer stimulation to children and respite to parents, however from my experience they are not always catered to a child’s needs. My daughter has eligibility but cannot attend because they do not have staff who can support her additional needs.

We need a way to continue to support families through this time, with Free School Meals children supported through lunch bags at local community centres, more inclusive summer camps, and staff to support those with special needs. We would also find it easier over the school holidays if there were some additional help for low-income families in the form of a shopping voucher from local councils, as this would somewhat ease the burden of the food bill during this time.

Each child and family deserve to have a nourishing time away from school during the holidays – filled with happiness rather than heaviness.