Staycations: Embracing the joy of slow and simple

I love travelling, especially now the kids are older. I really enjoy a family trip somewhere new, or even somewhere familiar – connecting as a family over traditions and nostalgia. Good times! But I’ll be honest, I also love staying home. Especially in the school holidays, when we hit pause on all the over-scheduling of term time (and nobody has to make school lunches). Equally good times!

It can be a bit daunting though – days and days of unstructured home-time, with bored and perpetually hungry kids looking to you for entertainment and direction. Fear not – it is possible to enjoy a staycation! In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest it might even be good for the whole family to slow down and embrace simple. There’s fun to be had at home, and it’s also a great place to hit refresh.

There were lots of learnings in lockdown, but one thing that has really stuck with me (and I'm trying to cling to!) is a fresh appreciation for the beauty of simplicity. Kids don’t need a whole lot of expensive toys, craft supplies or outings. When we couldn’t head out to spend our money on more complex forms of entertainment, we stayed home and entertained ourselves with simple things. Like constructing an apartment building out of cardboard boxes and making popcorn for a family movie night.

School holidays are the perfect time to harness that simple beauty again and remind ourselves that making memories doesn’t need to be about spending money and going to lots of different places. There is a special joy to be found when we embrace less over more. Less is more sustainable too. And cheaper. And less stressful. Less is awesome!

There’s a lot of pressure on parents in the holidays to provide kids with the most exciting time ever. There’s the pressure of comparison – all those other families having an amazing time on social media (you know, the clever ones who were quick enough to grab themselves a camper van deal!). And there’s the general pressure we put on ourselves simply because we love our kids and want them to have a great childhood. (And maybe a little pressure comes from quietly hoping our kids will stun the class and teacher with impressive tales of epic holiday adventures when school goes back. But let’s be honest – even if you took your kids to Nepal, chances are they would report back to the class that the highlight of the holidays was the movie they watched on the plane.)

All that pressure is unnecessary and unhelpful. So don’t think you have to be a performing seal! Kids are great at entertaining themselves – and even if they aren’t at the moment, they’ll soon get better! Boredom is really good for sparking our imaginations.

School holidays are a good time to reflect on the previous term and re-evaluate the family schedule. With so many options for extra-curricular activities, it’s really tempting to overschedule our kids’ (and thus our own!) lives. And it’s tempting because there are loads of really great opportunities out there, experiences our kids could really benefit from. However, just because they’re good, doesn’t mean we have to do them. In fact, taking on too many ‘great opportunities’ can end up having a detrimental effect on family life and our kids can end up exhausted. Therefore, it’s worth spending some time reflecting on our commitments. It’s okay to say no. Our kids don’t have to do everything.

Saying no creates space to slow down. Slowing down aids the incredibly valuable art of noticing and does wonderful things for connection. Connection with our kids can feel a bit forced when life is busy and we’re jamming things into the day. When the pace is slower, connection can happen more organically.

Intentionally scheduling some space for downtime can make a huge difference to family life. Time to simply sit with your child – on the beach, on the couch, on the front doorstep – without hurry or agenda, and savour the beauty of ‘being’ rather than the ‘doing’.

Sure, once-in-a-lifetime adventures are pretty memorable, but for most of us, the everyday moments are what we've got to work with! Memories are made when we experience something new, but again – simple totally works here. It could be a bush walk you haven’t done before, a beach you’ve not fully explored, an activity you haven’t tried before – like oil painting or cooking a different cuisine. Highly memorable and high on connection value, while still staying within the realm of simple.

Family life is a full-on juggle and most of us are experiencing stress at some level. What is also challenging is the fact that our kids pick up on our emotions. Now is a good time to do something the whole family enjoys, something that gives everyone a bit of break and shifts the focus from work and domestic busyness. I know it’s easier said than done, and it takes a bit of intentionality. But it starts with being kind to yourself – patting yourself on the back for the great parenting you’ve done through the last few years' unprecedented circumstances, and lowering the bar of expectation for ‘epic holidays’. Settle for ‘relaxed and simple holidays’. Pyjama days. Movie nights. Hanging with friends. Connecting with family. Anything that helps keep life simple, takes the pressure off, and creates space to get some of those everyday essentials (like work!) done.