If you can afford it, you might send the kids to camp for a week or two. But even then, it’s hardly a hands-off solution — there’s the twice-daily drop-off and pick-up, the lunch boxes, the laundry, the inevitable “Mum, I forgot my…!” text. If camp isn’t an option, the challenge becomes even greater: how do you keep a couple of restless kids engaged, entertained, and out of trouble for six long weeks?
When I was growing up, it was different. We roamed the neighbourhood, drifting in and out of each other’s homes. We’d run through sprinklers to cool off, invent games with nothing but a stick and some chalk, and disappear until dinner. The street was our playground, and the adults were largely forgotten.
Today, that’s not the reality for most families. Streets feel less safe, neighbours less connected. Many children don’t have that easy access to a ready-made group of playmates. And without the structure of the school day, the summer months can stretch into a restless, boredom-filled expanse — one that often gets filled by parents stepping in to provide entertainment.
For women leaders, that means your already limited time and energy are pulled in yet another direction. You’re constantly toggling between Zoom calls and Lego towers, between strategy meetings and “Mum, I’m hungry!” interruptions. The result? You’re not fully present anywhere — not in your work, and not with your kids.
If that’s you this summer, here’s my prescription: loosen the grip. Let “good enough” be the standard for now. Accept that the holidays will be messy, unpredictable, and full of interruptions. Carve out small moments that are yours — even if it’s 15 minutes with a coffee before the house wakes up. And let go of the idea that you have to do it all perfectly. Because you don’t.
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