How parents get through the summer hols

[Giles Turnbull]

A client wrote:

> How old are your kids? Can they entertain themselves for any
> length of time? I don't know how parents get through the summer hols

And I replied:

I've just got one, he'll be six in August.

He can entertain himself, but moans about it and won't do so for very
long. He prefers to have a playmate, so I make a point of allowing him
to invite friends round as much as possible. We've had a different pal
round to play every day this week, which has been a bit exhausting,
but it means Barney is happily occupied and I can manage a little bit
of work (albeit sitting at the kitchen table, with spacemen/ pirates/
zombies/ Spiderman/ Darth Vader/ literally running circles around me
and shouting at top volume).

And that's when they're not hungry/ thirsty/ soaking wet/ have
forgotten where the loo is/ have forgotten to go to the loo/ suddenly
desperate to watch telly or THEIR WORLD WILL END/ wanting to look at
Lego sets on Amazon on my computer/ hungry again.

Apart from all that, it's fine.

Only six and a half more weeks to go.

Help. Me.