Good morning campers! It’s day who-knows-what of summer. How are you doing? You might be trying to juggle work with childcare, living out of a suitcase or dealing with jet lag. You might be all of the above. If you don’t have children just stop reading here and enjoy your freedom. I am currently on holiday in the UK where the rain and cold feel like heaven compared to the 45-degree heat in Dubai. But trying to keep the little ones entertained is no mean feat. In the anxiety-inducing days leading up to my month away from home, my therapist was on speed dial. I had questions. How will I make time to write? Will I find a way to exercise? How will I create pockets of space in my brain? Well, you probably won’t, she said. I tried not to cry. But you need to let go of those needs and focus on what summer is all about, connecting and being present with your children. Oh, no, please, not that! I said. I don’t think I can do that. She assured me I could. So off I went, hesitant, resistant, but willing to give it a go.
It’s been a couple of weeks and I’m happy to report I haven’t throttled the kids yet. I consider this quite a victory, especially as we are two plane rides and two countries in and they are flat-out refusing to go to camp. Yesterday, while it poured down with rain, we played indoors as part of my soul-destroying, life-long campaign to get the kids off their screens. The price? Hundreds of pounds spent at the Lego store and my sanity. But at least it worked. We were present, we were connected. For about three hours. Admittedly in large part due to the help of their aunt and uncle who are visiting from the U.S. and make Mary Poppins look inadequate. They leave tomorrow. I am terrified. Is anyone else finding these six weeks a challenge or are you one of those good mums that enjoys spending endless hours traipsing around parks and zoos, dishing out snacks as though you’re a vending machine and desperately looking for the nearest bathroom because one of the little darlings needs the loo, again? Give me tips!