Parents! Give Yourself A Break Too!
Being a parent is lots of work and a big commitment of time, energy and money. Providing for your little loved ones can be very rewarding as you watch them develop into fine young people. However, those moments of joy, pride, and accomplishment are offset by those moments of sadness, humility, and disappointment. Regardless of whether the feelings are positive or negative, one feeling that often accompanies all others is tiredness. Being a parent takes a lot of your emotional, physical and mental energy. Good day or bad day, when the sun sets, dinner has been served, and the evening nears its end, you are tired and ready for your sleep.
As parents, you usually put the welfare of your children before your own, which is how it should be. It may often seem that you are sacrificing yourself entirely for them: from the moment you wake up and get them ready for school to the moment you leave work to deal with supper, take the kids to their after-school activities, spend some time with them ensuring their homework is done and that all their other needs are met, you find yourself with very little time for you. It is amazing how much more pain and punishment one can take when it is done for the love of one’s children.Parents can be truly remarkable.
Dedicated, committed, driven, steadfast for their children, and willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, parents should be recognized more often, not only on Global Day of Parents. Parents, too, need rest and quality time alone (or with their partner) to truly recharge and get refreshed for getting back into the family arena. Yes, parents need time away from their kids, too. Too much of a great thing is, well, still too much! Caretakers must take care of themselves if they are to take care of others properly. Just like putting your mask on a plane before that of your child.
How best to do this?
Sure, your kids can energize you, especially when they achieve and make you proud. Hearing a child’s laughter as he/she plays without angst, carefree and not a thought wasted on the problems of the world, can be relaxing and provide you with a true feeling of contentment and happiness. But, it is still mainly about them, and you still cannot completely let go, relax and take your mind off them at the moment. What if there was a way for you to provide your kids with a safe, loving, and nurturing environment where they could learn, have fun, and develop their sense of who they really are while allowing you to get some serious quality time for yourself? How can one do this with everything else that requires your time, like work, household management, and other family commitments? And how does one even cope with the extra burden of summer months when the kids are home, but you are at work?
Well, one method is summer camp or an overseas holiday. There are lots of different programs offered out there. From public schools with a homestay program, an ESL school with a homestay program, or a private school with full boarding and 24/7 supervision offering more than just English classes and afternoon activities. All programs are good and offer a slightly different experience and should not be analyzed by the price but rather by what experience(s) you are trying to give your child. Some children will be younger and less experienced and would be better suited to a program that offers 24/7 supervision and a higher ratio of counselors to students (as high as 1:5 in some cases). Boarding at the school removes the daily commute to and from a homestay, and sharing a room with other international students who are also experiencing the same home separation and anxiety issues will make it easier for children to adapt to their environment and make friends with other children their own age.
And let’s not forget about the food, more particularly comfort food. Just as familiarity with one’s environment helps deal with homesickness, so does food. Most private boarding schools have catered kitchens offering food from every country represented in their student base. So Thai noodles and spices for Thais, Sushi for Japanese students, burgers for westerners, etc. Sometimes just this fact alone makes the whole difference between a good program and a great one.
Back to the main theme of this article, which is about parents taking care of themselves as well as their children. When sending your child to a top private boarding school overseas, not only will the child have a great time and make life-long memories, but as a parent, you will be giving yourself a full and complete break for the duration of the program. You will have little to worry about as your child will be in the best hands possible, and your evenings and weekends will be all yours. Think of all the things you could do with this extra time. Whatever you do, you will surely be well-rested and ready for when your loved one returns. So do not hesitate to call us 02-238-1752, 086-780-2100 or info@gostudycanada.net to determine if this program is the right one for you.
Summer time should be break time for everyone!.. Click here to learn more
Rene is a Canadian education consulting and student recruiter based out of Bangkok with over 20 years of experience in the S.E. Asian market. He can be reached at info@gostudycanada.net and followed at GoStudyCanada (FB & IG)
