Tips for Working Parents Managing Kids During the Summer
The article references recent research from the Modern Family Index (MFI), commissioned by Bright Horizons (NYSE:BFAM) and conducted by The Harris Poll, which revealed that 68% of parents surveyed agreed that sometimes summer feels like a break for everyone but themselves. This time of year is particularly challenging for working parents—with 76% saying the level of focus they have at work during the summer is directly tied to the reliability of their children’s summer schedules.
As working parents try to juggle professional responsibilities with increased family demands, their level of focus and productivity tends to suffer during the summer months, with 87% reporting that they experience challenges or disruptions while their children are home in the summer.
- Give kids their own summer schedule or daily checklist filled with fun, age-appropriate activities. Allowing children to have a say in how their day will unfold helps foster a sense of independence.
- Create a positive, easy chore routine for kids during the day.
- Have open-ended materials available and easy to access for times when boredom might arise. Consider swapping out available materials throughout the week to create a sense of novelty and variety for your children.
- Set clear do-not-disturb times with a signal system to note when you shouldn’t be interrupted.
Let Go of Super Mom/Dad: Some additional ideas from a story in Forbes encourages working parents to release themselves from the perfectionist trap and set realistic expectations. This includes:
- Managing expectations: Explaining that while summer will be fun, you still have work responsibilities.
- Setting boundaries with your partner: Have honest conversations about sharing the summer load equitably.
- Communicate with your manager: Have proactive talks about summer flexibility and potential schedule adjustments to ensure a smooth transition.
- Give yourself permission to be imperfect: Your house might be messier, dinner might come from the freezer more often and your kids might watch more screens than usual.
Support For Working Parents
To alleviate the burden and provide more peace of mind, many working parents are looking to their employers for additional support. Results from the Modern Family Index survey revealed that more than three-quarters of working parents (76%) say they wish their employer offered more supports to help them arrange a reliable summer schedule for their children.
“Today’s working parents aren’t afraid to speak up and ask for what they need,” commented
About
Bright Horizons® is a leading global provider of high-quality early education and childcare, back-up care, and workforce education services. For more than 35 years, we have partnered with employers to support workforces by providing services that help working families and employees thrive personally and professionally. Bright Horizons operates more than 1,000 early education and childcare centers in
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laura.mcdowell@brighthorizons.com
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