23/10/2026
Half-term is nearly here, and perhaps you've got some lovely things planned with the kids.
Pumpkin picking, baking, Halloween crafts, days out, or just enjoying some time together without the usual school routine.
And perhaps you're looking forward to some of it just as much as they are!
But there's something about planning lovely experiences for our children that can leave us feeling surprisingly disappointed when they don't quite go to plan.
You imagined decorating biscuits together. They want to eat the chocolate chips.
You planned a lovely autumn walk. They want to go home.
You spent ages preparing a Halloween activity. They've lost interest after ten minutes.
And even though you understand why they're behaving like this, you might still feel rather annoyed.
Because you wanted to enjoy it too.
And I think that's something we don't always recognise about our own needs as parents.
Sometimes we don't want time away from our children. We want meaningful, enjoyable time ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ them.
And when their wishes conflict with ours, it can be difficult to know whose needs should take priority.
So as we head into half-term, I hope you have some lovely moments together.
And if things don't go quite as you'd imagined, remember that feeling disappointed or irritated doesn't necessarily mean you've done anything wrong.
Nor does it mean your children have.
Sometimes you just wanted different things. ๐ธ
