Back to School: A Parent’s Guide to Me-Time and Balance

Back to School: A Parent’s Guide to Me-Time & Balance

And just like that, they are back at school! I say ‘just like that’, but I find the summer holidays becomes a strange time warp, where it can either feel like 6 days, 6 weeks or 6 months depending on what you’re up to. 

On the whole, I do enjoy the summer holidays. No alarms being set. No rushing them out of the door for school. No last minute panics for a costume you forgot you needed to provide. Just getting to spend more time together in the sunshine. 

That being said…the lack of routine also drives me nuts! I’m the type of person that needs structure (as are the kids) so the free flowing nature of the summer holidays, where days feel like they’re merging into one, can leave us all craving for September to come around again. 

It’s not just the lack of routine. It’s the lack of time for ourselves. The kids are off and we will always feel some kind of pressure the make it as magical as we can for them. Which often means putting our own needs on the back burner to prioritise those of our small people.  

Then fast forward to the final few weeks and we’re spending time (and money) sorting out new uniforms, shoes, stationary, lunchboxes…everything they need for their return to school. And then before you know it, you’re waving them off at the school gates and find yourself standing there thinking…”now what?”. 

For me, September has always been my ‘New Year’. Once the kids are back, the house is quiet and we get our headspace back, it’s a chance to reset and refocus on ourselves… about what we need, changes we want to make and any goals we want to accomplish. 

So consider this month’s blog as the anti-dote to your “now what” as I’m going to share some of the things I plan in to get myself back on track. 

Creating Me-Time

All those things you’ve thought about doing but haven’t had the time to do them whilst the kids are about…well this is now your time! 

Now I know the desire to start doing jobs once they’re back is going to be strong. But I want you to fight it! There will be loads of time for that later.  

The ‘Me-Time’ I am talking about is something that benefits no one else, except you.  

That book you’ve heard is amazing…make time to read it. That film you want to see…go for a cheeky afternoon viewing whilst they’re at school. That exercise class you’ve been wanting to go to…book it and get those endorphins going. 

And look, if the state of their room has been driving you crazy and the only way you can think straight again is to clear it, then absolutely go ahead. Just make sure that once it’s done, you take some time for yourself to do the things you actually want to do. 

Catching up with friends

Before the holidays begin, I always have this naïve optimism that they’ll be loads of opportunities to catch up with friends. Play dates, visits to the park, days out. But throw in everyone going on holiday at different times, juggling work, summer clubs, visiting family and well…life, the dates we can all make become few and far between. 

So one of the first things I do, is schedule in time with my besties the moment the kids are back at school. And when I say “the moment” I mean literally a long over due catch up over coffee the minute we have dropped them off at school on their first day back! 

One year, we really went to town and booked a spa day for us all and it was glorious!. A chance to rest, recharge and reconnect both with each other and ourselves. We even made it back for pick up! 

We can lose a real sense of self when we don’t see our friends for long periods of time, which is why getting time in with your besties should be an absolute priority! 

Date day! 

Don’t know about you, but my husband and I can become ships that pass in the night during the summer holidays. We’re both working, so any days off we have are usually to take the kids so the other one can work. And when we do have a day off together, it’s to spend time as a family all together, which, whilst lovely, does make it difficult to hold a single conversation without interruption. 

So once they’re back at school and the dust has settled, we book in a date day…just the two of us. Why a day? Well whilst evening dates are great, after a full day of parenting, you’re both absolutely knackered and can hardly string a sentence together. 

Date days are different. You’ve got more time and energy to plan something in that goes beyond going for dinner. Visit an exhibition, go to the cinema or the theatre, attend a cookery class, go bowling, have a long leisurely lunch or catch a boat up the river.  Whatever you choose to do, make it a time when you’re no longer ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad’ and become an ‘us’ again. 

Time in for more family adventures