Sunday, August 30, 2009

The Problem is You Think You Have to Entertain Them...

All those who send their kids away for the summer, or go away to summer homes, are now back and whining and complaining.

"I have to entertain my children for another week! How many perks do these rebbis and moros need? If THEY had to work a regular full time job, THEY wouldn't want their kids home! Why do our children have to have another week of vacation? Just 'cuz the rest of the world (not to be confused with "the oilom") start after Labor Day, WE have to?"

Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah. Quite whining. You sound ridiculous:
1. They are YOUR children. This 10 week summer vacation did not start with your kids when tey entered elementary school. Remember? You loved all that vacation time when you were a child, now it is their turn!

2. Stop using the word "entertain". It clearly shows the way you are raising your children. Start thinking about this when they are infants, toddlers, little children. Teach them how to have fun without you orchestrating and controlling every minute. Let them see the joy of being content with being by themselves for a little bit. Allow your children to find fun in mundane things, and teach them WHEN THEY ARE YOUNG that you are not a camp director, and it is okay if they have a few days without running to the mall, having pizza for all meals, spending a free whole day at an amusement park, etc.

3. You know in June that when end of August comes around, you will have to make some plans for your children. Call other moms and make arrangements. It is likely your friends are in the same situation as you are. If not, this is the time to pull out games they haven't played in a while, have them bake for yomtov, or, Gasp! Let them organize ball games, trips to the park, or if older, trips to other places with a parent or two to volunteer to drive them.

4. Let your bigger kids organize a pre- school camp for different ages. Or if you are an entrepreneur, YOU be the camp director and arrange activities and trips for those kids of your friends who are falling apart and have nothing to do with their kids!


and really, stop complaining about the "perks" of teaching. If you aren't in chinuch, you get perks, too. Like every legal holiday off. Like health insurance. Like yearly bonuses or raises.

And if you are in a job that doesn't have those perks, so, you don't have them! Guess what?! Not everyone has it easy! Not everyone has the good life! Not everyone has perks!

Really, it is so tiresome to hear this every year. Make plans in advance.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ha ha. Yes, I took a week off to be with my kids, but tomorrow the babysitter comes back and I GET TO go to work !!!

G6 said...

"Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah. Quite whining."
Who's whining?
Who's complaining about having to "entertain" their children?
The real fact IS that children don't NEED, nor to they benefit from 10-12 straight weeks of vacation!
It's time the teachers stopped whining and considered what's best for the children (and that isn't always what the children say they want).
What's tiresome to ME is hearing teachers badmouth PARENTS year after year. We are not trying to "get rid" of our children. We simply feel that our children have had MORE THAN enough time to relax and enjoy their summer and all good things have to come to an end some time.
Teachers should stop boo hoo-ing about having to go back to work and turning it around on to the parents. Enough is enough.

Heshy Fried said...

You speak the truth man