The dos and don’ts of Summer
ILLUSTRATION: SAM MILLER www.sammiller.co.uk
By the Triplet Dad
It is summertime and the school holidays are here, which can either be six weeks of fantastic fun filled days, or six weeks of trying to balance days off work and holiday clubs to keep children safely looked after and entertained. Here’s my summer holiday survival guide…
Don’t l
Rely on the weather. Summer in Scotland can be varied at best, so relying on just getting them outside in the sunshine won’t work when you end up with three little faces pressed against the glass wanting to come back in because it’s too cold out.
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Commit to events where you have to be somewhere at a certain time as you can guarantee that’s when one of the kids (or you) will have a meltdown.
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Worry about the mess. The triplets have lots of friends from school living in our street and it’s not unusual to see any number of them running around our house and garden having fun. There will be plenty of time to clean up afterwards.
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Always be the parent. Join in and have fun. Sing silly songs. Be just as daft as they are.
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Forget that it’s these times you spend with them when they are little, that forges the bond you will have with them when they grow up. Ultimately they will forget the things you bought them and will remember the times you spent together. Create lots of happy memories now and you will be able to share them together for the rest of your lives. n
Do l
Have at least one planned activity each day, even if it’s just going for a walk. Lots of free days to do whatever you want may sound idealistic to us parents who dream of the long summer holidays we had when we were young, but kids can get bored really easily if there’s nothing planned to do.
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Let them grow stuff. Give them responsibility for a bit of the garden that they can tend to and water and watch over the summer. Sunflowers are really good as they grow big quickly.
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Take advantage of the free stuff. The Edinburgh Festival is brilliant for this - let the kids watch the street performers while you have a seat for a few minutes. Make sure you do pay some attention though or you may look up to see your kids trying to juggle fire.
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Get a National Trust Scotland and/or Historic Scotland membership. Kids love running around old castles and exploring historic houses and grounds. Pack a flask and some sandwiches and go explore.
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Take lots of pictures. You’ll look back on these times when you’re old and grey, and the kids have left home and you’ll remember what fun you all had together.
made JULY / AUGUST 2014
Read more from Triplet Dad at tripletdadedinburgh.blogspot.co.uk @TripletDadMJ 23