Hello, I’m sitting down to write this column with my third load of washing of the day in the machine, Holly and Phil are talking about eyelashes on the TV and the kitchen table is covered in cookery books, because I’m trying to plan a gluten free dinner for the family. My daughter is home for a few days and her latest fad (don’t tell her I said that) is that she doesn’t eat gluten.
We women, and a lot of men nowadays, just get so used to multi-tasking that if we don’t have at least two or three things on the go at once we feel like we are missing a trick.
It seems to spill into every area of life. I can never just sit down and relax and watch TV now, I have to be checking emails at the same time or updating my calendar, and at the ad breaks I’m rushing through to the kitchen to unload the dishwasher or fold washing.
It creates a bit of tension in our house because if my husband is justifiably sitting on the sofa after a long day at work I kind of insinuate “have you nothing to do”?
I know I’m in the wrong and have learned to bite my tongue. I’ve realised being able to relax is a bit of a long-lost talent which I need to re-learn. On holiday it takes me a few days but once I am halfway through a book I know I’ve succeeded.
Most weeks I end up staying in a hotel for work, so it’s just as well I don’t associate hotels with relaxing or I wouldn’t get much work done.
Speaking about holidays I find the debate that has been played out in the press as to whether parents in England should be fined if they take their children off on holiday during term time very interesting.
Call me old fashioned but in my opinion there is a certain kind of respect that parents should have towards school rules that should go without saying. How on earth can you make children obey rules in life if you start them off by blatantly showing them that you can break them when it suits you?
Believe me it’s tough enough getting teenagers to tow the line without having set them a bad example in the first place.
Of course there is a valid exception to every rule and there will be cases where the family genuinely can’t afford a holiday and really do need one, but in the majority of cases the money saved won’t be a matter of life and death.
When I was growing up we went on holiday to Perth every year – because that’s what our budget stretched to – and we loved it. The kids nowadays have to have everything and have been everywhere by the time they are teenagers, mine included. New phones, iPads, holidays, birthday parties, the latest trainers, it’s never ending. No wonder parents feel the need to keep up with the Joneses, but at what cost? What is there to look forward to in later life? I feel I’ve given my children too much too soon and I’m sure most parents do.
If you can’t afford the holiday during the school holidays, maybe making them aware of saving up to afford it and doing without something might be fun.
I’m getting ready for the onslaught from outraged parents who can’t believe I’m suggesting they and their little darlings could cut costs to afford their holiday outwith term time. I’m glad I’m not on Loose Women giving that opinion and I’m hiding in our little north-east bubble where I have a feeling my views are a little more common because of our “canny” gene.
Anyway I’d be interested to know what everyone else thinks and I would welcome your opinion, whether you agree with me or not. The tour operators or hotels could of course help, but it’s a bit like peak-rate trains or turkeys at Christmas.
I’m tempted to charge peak rate for this gluten-free cake I’m making, after all there is a big demand here and I’ve got a captive audience who can’t go to any other restaurant because that would mean moving their spoilt, lazy, student bottom from the sofa!