Families Feature
How to have a proper holiday when you are parents Everything changes when you have children, and nothing more than your annual holiday. But there are still ways to feel as though you’ve had a break, says mother-of-four Joanna Moorhead
t’s still got the same name, but once you’ve got children your fortnight in the sun isn’t really a holiday any more. Not a holiday as you once knew it, anyway. Gone are the days when you could laze around a pool all day, with no bigger decision than how early in the day to have your first beer; gone, too, the days when you could party through the night and stay in bed until 11am if you wanted. No: once you have kids, what a holiday actually means is more work than usual, with a different backdrop. Why more? Well, there are new hazards to negotiate, especially if your children are tiny (windows they could fall out of, swimming pools they could fall into, the need to be on constant watch for different dangers). And, unlike at home, you don’t have your usual safety nets in place to make things easier: no childminder, no friends round the corner, no teenage babysitter down the street, no playgroup. What’s a time-starved couple, who still like the idea that a holiday might deliver them some time together a deux, some time alone to ruminate and read, and the occasional
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opportunity to try out watersports or the spa, to do? The good news is, there are ways round the difficulties. The caveat is, none of them are problem-free. Solution #1: Take the grandparents The pros: They’re free! Grandparents pay their own way on holiday (well, most do) – and some are even going to treat you quite a bit while you’re away. I’m joking, of course: grandparents are a cost-cutting way of making your holiday more like a holiday; but the main advantage of them is they genuinely love your children, and they’re going to enjoy being with them, and vice versa. The cons: Not everyone has a great relationship with their parents or parentsin-law. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself whether you’d have holidayed with them before you had kids. If the answer is absolutely not, maybe think again. Solution #2: Have a shared holiday with another family The pros: You can’t get out as much once you’ve got kids, so taking friends means