Last week was February school vacation for our town, and of course I was home with my daughters (son is at college) because I’m not working. The week flew by without much activity – my older daughter had some friends over on the Washington’s Birthday Holiday, but the rest of the week was about sleeping late and takeout. We’ve never been a skiing family, and one year we went on a warm weather vacation, and I vowed never again (unless I could pay for 1st class flights.)
I started thinking about what we usually did during February vacation. I worked, and the kids went to their family child care. And that’s when I realized what the secret to a successful school vacation week is – a great child care facility.
We were fortunate that our family child care stayed open during the vacation week (except for the holiday). The kids had to get up early so I could drop them off before commuting to work, but once they were there, their day was filled with friends, activities, toys, and special treats. Usually our provider planned some sort of an outing for at least one of the days – the museum of science, the aquarium, bowling, an indoor waterpark, or a local swimming pool. Even if I had been home with my kids, I don’t think I would have undertaken those types of activities. I would have been discouraged by the thought of the crowds. My kids would have expressed boredom for not having their friends along.
There’s no question that my children’s lives were enriched by attending the family child care (and our particular
Pajama Day!
provider). There were other events – pajama days (how I envied those!), crafts planned for the occasion, a bookmobile visit, or a special visitor who brought wildlife (lizards, turtles, and even a skunk!) for the children to see and pet. Learning a new song, singing, dancing, and playing – lots and lots of playing – filled the days. I’d like to think that if I had been home with them, we would have done some fun activities. But, it wouldn’t have been half of what they experienced at childcare. And it wouldn’t have been with other kids – kids with whom they had grown up, kids that were friends, kids that were like family.
I’m not advocating for working – it’s a choice every family has to make for themselves, and the right choice is different for each family. I do know that, if you choose to work outside the home, one of the success factors is going to be who you choose to take care of your children every day. I was so fortunate to have a place where my children were loved, got all their needs met, and loved to attend. It was a bonus that they were having more fulfilling days than I could have ever provided.
It’s different now. My girls are 12 and 16 now, so if I were working, they would be home on their own. They would be fine with it – sleeping late, staring at devices, and raiding the refrigerator. Their grandmother would have arranged to take them to lunch as a treat. The vacation is a true respite from studying and school work, but they miss the days at the childcare. And so do I.
Do you want to build a snowman?
