6 reasons to be happy the school holidays are over…

Okay hear us out…

We know we long for the summer for most of the year. We dream of an exotic escape, of long balmy evenings spent in pub beer gardens. The clothes get pretty, everyone seems more relaxed and the warmth of the sun our backs just makes us feel good.

There are (for some) lie ins, no super early starts and long days taking it easy. There are ice creams and every day can feel like the weekend.

But if you’re honest, now that we’re in the last week of August, you might also be looking forward to the end of the holidays and the start of the new school term. 

It’s okay you can admit it to us. We won’t tell anyone. 

Here are our top six reasons why we’re happy the summer holidays are nearly over. Add yours in the comments below…

1. No more sand

Beaches are fun. Being by the sea is life affirming. But sand we can do without.  

And it isn’t just a problem when we’re on holiday. For weeks we’ve been finding sand in our shoes, suitcases, car, in every item of children’s clothing, our handbags, the lids of all our toiletries, falling out of the pages of our book… You get the picture.   

So with the holidays ending, there’ll be many less opportunities for sand to get into every single nook and cranny of our lives. Woohoo.

2. No more sticky skin

A combination of sun cream, perspiration (sorry), salt water, chlorine, insect repellent and after sun means we spent most of the August feeling sticky and personally we can’t wait to get rid of that icky sensation.

3. A return to bedtimes

During the weeks of the summer holidays, it’s natural that the kids aren’t kept to a specific bedtime. In fact they stay up much later, eat later, stay out with family and friends and stay up watching movies.

It makes for a fun and inclusive few weeks making lots of lovely memories, but we’ve been missing a bit of grown up adult time too. We’re looking forward to a few more nights on the sofa or out for dinner with just our significant other.

4. No more cries of ‘I’m bored’

‘I’m bored’ is the battle cry of the long summer break. 

And to be honest we’re struggling to come up with any more ideas for how to stop the boredom. 

So thankfully teachers and school work and after school play dates will solve that little problem.

5. Getting back into a routine 

Talking of school…

The mornings may be a bit manic and the effort required to get your little ones classroom ready five days a week may take the organisational skills of a wedding planner, but won’t it be nice to be back in a routine? We’re all creatures of habit after all.

Spend the next couple of days buying last minute school uniform, accessories, backpacks, lunch boxes and sports kit and then you’ll feel ready to tackle the school run once more.

And you can welcome the return of having a schedule, which be honest, you secretly love.   

6. No more expensive excursions

The long summer holidays require a lot of entertainment. Those cries of ‘we’re bored’ remember…

And one of the ways we tend to deal with those is to plan (and have to pay for) lots of pretty expensive excursions and treats. The cost of trips to theme parks and swimming pools and museums and the cinema and for milkshakes and ice creams is is endless, and by the end of August we’re wondering where all our money went. 

So now that the end of summer is in sight, our wallets will be glad of the break to be frank.