What will you do now the kids are back at school?
What will you do now the kids are back at school? I wanted to write this blog because we spend so much time thinking about sending the kids back to school and making sure they have everything they need that we end up putting ourselves last on the list. You may be dreading the return to school, you may be literally counting the minutes but you are suddenly going to have a lot of time that hasn’t been available to you over the last six weeks or so. If you are lucky enough to have your own business, then you may have the distraction you desire…
… but what if you don’t?
You have bought and named new, larger items of school uniform. You have purchased new school shoes, even though you know you will be purchasing yet another pair by the time half term comes along because they have (please delete as appropriate) grown out of them/ ruined them within 5 minutes of wearing them/ come home only wearing one of them!!!!!
You have resigned yourself to getting yourself up and dressed, feeding children, packing lunches, leaving the house whilst remembering to take children and lunches with you all in the space on an hour, and you have marked the family calendar with all the upcoming after school activities to occupy your little darlings whilst giving yourself just a few extra precious moments to get things done.
If the above rings true, chances are your summer holidays were also quite intense. Sorting out play dates and day camps for your kids, keeping them entertained on multiple rainy days when they couldn’t go outside – I mean there is only so much soft play an adult human can take right? Oh, and the endless feeding!!! How many snacks do you reckon a person needs to constantly make or provide before they spontaneously combust amongst a heap of pocket-sized raisin packs and carrot sticks?!
If you work, you have had to juggle all of this plus your clients and if you don’t, you may be craving a little peace and quiet and the opportunity to go to the toilet on your own without World War 3 breaking out in your absence.
It can take time to re-calibrate
The summer holidays are a distant memory and ‘normal’ life is about to resume. It’s exhausting just thinking about it.
Even though the thought of getting everybody out of the house again may seem blissful it can take a bit of time to re-calibrate and get yourself use to the sudden quiet, the more peaceful hours in between drop off and pick up and the expectation that now things need to get done!
First things first: BREATHE
Your adrenaline and therefore your fight or flight is all over the place – you need to take the time to acclimatise to the different pace of life.
Secondly: YOU
Consider what it is you want for the ‘new term’. Is there something you have been considering training in to fill your days? Is there a new modality you want to explore to compliment what you are currently providing for your clients?
Thirdly: STOP
Stop making excuses as to why now isn’t the right time to take on something new/ arrange childcare so you can spend the time it takes to learn something new/ pay out money to learn something new. Time is moving on, your kids are only getting older and whilst they may need you for every single aspect of their lives currently, as they grow your daily input becomes less and less necessary. They will be taking themselves places, filling their own calendars, making their own lunches (or they flippin’ well should be by a certain point!) buying their own clothes (correction, buying their own clothes on their own but with your money obvs!) What are you going to do then?
It will go quicker than you think…
Trust me, it will go quicker than you think (my youngest has now gone off to uni and I am officially an empty nester) Putting plans in place now that allows your business to grow as your kids do means you have something else to focus on that gives you purpose and earns you money. It also means that when your house is empty during the day or for months on end (moment taken away from laptop to sob – ok, I’m fine now) your heart won’t have to feel empty too.
If you are passionate about pregnancy and birth
If this strikes a chord with you and you are passionate about pregnancy and birth get in touch to have a chat about what you may like to do to fill that void that the kids going back to school may have left.
