With the school holidays just around the corner, many parents and carers are turning their attention to childcare. While holiday clubs and activities can be a great option for some, others are fortunate enough to have family members who are willing and able to help out.
Enthusiastic grandparents or other relatives can be an absolute lifesaver for childcare during school holidays (and, if we are really lucky, money-saver), allowing us to continue working uninterrupted over holiday periods, safe in the knowledge that our children are being well looked after.
On paper, it’s the perfect solution to the childcare headache. But asking family members to help out can also be fraught with tension and conflict as some relatives can seem determined to throw out the rule book, cross boundaries and abandon well-established routines.
Even in the closest families, grandparents and other relatives can sometimes override our parenting style while we, too, can be guilty of struggling to hand over the reins. If we are not careful, the whole thing can soon become a battleground!
It’s a tricky balancing act: on the one hand, we are grateful for any help and support, but on the other hand, when structure and consistency go out of the window, we can be left wrangling with fractious children at pick-up time.
We don’t want to risk upsetting our nearest and dearest (especially if they don’t expect payment for helping out!) but equally, we need to express the importance of sticking to tried-and-tested structure and routines. Sometimes it can feel impossible to have these difficult conversations with loved ones without somebody getting defensive or upset.
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