Holidays. This word subconsciously evokes pleasure. It conjures up sweet idleness, sunshine, water, and laughter. I think there’s no other school-related word for which children haven’t come up with any mocking or derogatory expression yet, and to me, that’s clear evidence of how children have held holidays in profound reverence from time immemorial. It’s certain that teachers, just like their students, can’t wait for the holidays. We’ve all successfully survived a demanding school year, even though it brought us many unexpected obstacles in the form of COVID and lockdowns, as well as many challenges in remote learning. All of us deserve a proper break just for that.
As a parent, I also eagerly await the holidays. It’s the end of early getting up, the rush to catch the beginnings of classes, and the mad scramble to complete the assignments. However, at least two months before the end of the school year, I start pondering, as I do every year, how to keep my kids entertained during those two months. Two months of holidays are quite a long time to ensure a full day of activities for our little ones, all the while trying not to lose our jobs and, frankly, our sanity. For single parents, holidays can often become a nightmare. During my childhood and later during my adult daughter’s childhood, many of us relied on the help of grandparents during the summer. As a child, I spent a significant part of my holidays with my grandfather. Truth be told, he cared for me all year, but the holidays were our special time. No restrictions, long trips to the countryside, forests, and ponds. Camping in the woods by a stream, all without words, in contrast to my perpetually busy parents. He took my Prague friend with us as well, a bonus. And his life stories from the first and second world wars, it was a multi-season series. Netflix couldn’t compete with him. Plus, my grandpa was an excellent cook, and his soups, although spicier than healthy for a child, tasted absolutely delicious. I still admire him for his ability to motivate me to work. When I look back today, I can’t believe how many garden beds we weeded in a day, how much currants we picked, and the preserves we made. I draw from his life stories and experiences throughout my life.
But there are fewer and fewer vital grandparents these days. The continuously increasing average age of mothers is to blame, along with the increasing age of our grandparents, making their ability to look after our schoolchildren during the summer holidays less reliable. As mothers age, so do grandmothers, and not all of them are fit enough to care for their energetic grandchildren. Thus, holidays can be especially challenging for parents who are handling everything on their own. Most of them have no choice but to keep their children at home during the holidays. They won’t be jetting off to a foreign beach for vacation, enjoying time with a group of friends at camp. They have to make do with playing among the apartment buildings or, in the best case, outside on the playground while their exhausted parent checks on them from work, making sure they are okay and not glued to their screens all day.
Even though it might seem that during the holidays, the scissors of social inequality among different families and especially children open wider than during the rest of the year, there is still a silver lining in all of this. Holidays don’t need to be planned down to every last minute on the calendar. More and more psychologists are pointing out that the time and space for playing that children create for themselves is essential. Since we’ve become accustomed to scheduling our children’s time from morning to night, perhaps holidays are the best time to take our foot off the gas.
The most valuable thing we parents can give to our children (not only during the holidays) is time, and where we spend that time isn’t as important. We have many options that practically cost nothing. Going for a walk in the forest, sleeping under the stars, visiting a distant aunt living on the other side of the country, or finally cooking a favourite meal and peacefully watching a family movie. However, the most crucial thing is our attention to our children. Fully focusing on them. On what they are telling us, what they are conveying with their stories, or why they are silent with us. Focused attention, undisturbed by texting on our phones or checking emails, is a value that reinforces our children’s sense of their own worth. It’s an investment in their future. An hour of such focused time often means more to a child than fourteen days in the Maldives. After that, we can let our children have space for a free play. The time they spend with their peers somewhere on the grass behind the house, and the time they get to decide all by themselves is incredibly important for them and will serve them well in the future if they learn how to manage it now.
This year, the holidays in our country will be different. We’ll be spending them with tens of thousands of children from Ukraine, who certainly envisioned their holidays differently just a few months ago. Now they are in a foreign country, mostly with their mothers, while their fathers defend their cities and villages with weapons in hand. They have to learn a foreign language to start school in September. They have no certainty of returning to their homes. The war in Ukraine will probably last a long time, and many houses, homes, and schools that they could return to will be destroyed. I believe that in our solidarity, we can persevere, and with our help, these children can enjoy the holidays.
Even the ancient Greeks and Romans knew the beneficial effects of holidays, an inseparable friend that has accompanied the institution of school since time immemorial. Yes, without school, there wouldn’t be holidays, and holidays without school lose their meaning. The Greek word for holidays, διακοπές, means interruption, disconnection, cutoff, and in modern Greek, it also means stopping or a break. So whether your holidays happen at home or far away on a journey, may they bring you mainly relief from obligations and enjoyable time spent with your loved ones.
Ivana Tykač,
