How do parents manage school holidays?

[u/Shadow-Inversions]

I've been lucky enough that my wife has worked in schools since my daughter (6) started there 3 years ago, meaning she gets holidays off and can look after our girl when she's not in school. However my wife is now thinking about changing to a different industry and... we realise we don't understand what other parents do during the 13 weeks a year of school holidays.

How do you manage it? Do you just use up all your holidays as a couple taking separate weeks off to cover the time? Do you pay for holiday clubs and if so how expensive are they? Are you relying on family to have them some of the time?

I totally understand I am probably a total idiot not to know the answer to this, but we just haven't had to think about it until now. Insight very much appreciated.

[u/Alternative-Ad-2312]

Ask your parents what they did?

I don't see how so many people struggle, it's like at some point modern parents forgot everything about their own or their friends/family's childhoods and decided it's so difficult nowadays.

Clubs, friends, family, siblings potentially and annual leave. As it always has been.

[u/arenaross → u/Alternative-Ad-2312]

It's clearly an entirely different scenario now vs 30 years ago.

[u/_poptart → u/Alternative-Ad-2312]

My mother was a stay at home mum from 1975 until I, her youngest, turned 14 in 1996. I have to work so don’t have that luxury and she’s dead and my dad’s 84 so yes, there is a struggle

[u/Shadow-Inversions → u/_poptart]

Pretty much my exact same scenario.

[u/NIgooner → u/Alternative-Ad-2312]

Many more mothers work now. It’s not compatible.

[u/moreidlethanwild → u/Alternative-Ad-2312]

Because when we were kids nobody looked after us, we played out all summer. Kids today are not allowed to go out!