Money or Time?
On Friday I had a terrible choice. I could sign off work, go out with my Mum and visit M&s for some recreational shopping. They have some lovely red & white undies I'm interested it, so I could have looked at them & given in to temptation....
Or I could work for money and fun at a local (very nice) school.
I chose the money.
The reasoning is this; next week is half term & the money I make this week will pay for me and my children to go out. Previous holidays BC (before cash) have been quiet affairs, a visit to Ma, a trip to the park have done, or the holiday has thrown me & my (very kind) bank- manager into disagreement. This time I actually will have the cash to say, "Let's go to the cinema!" and not have to search down the side of the sofa for the popcorn money. We can go to the lovely museum, which is free, and they can have £2.50 each to spend in the shop, instead of the 50p school-trip money we usually have. And a full-family trip to Borders with coffee (soya milk, sugarfree vanilla decaf, please) juice and cakes can be followed by a "Yes kids, pick a book, please". It will be freedom.
But,
I also recognise that the money is not the only thing I want to give my kids next week. I want to spend time with them , too. I want to get the three t-shirts and transfer a drawing of each on to them so that they have their own shirt for the summer. I want to get out the paints and the clay so that they can make more artwork for my (overstocked) house. And I want to go to the park with them and walk around the duck pond shouting "Pancakes and plum sauce!" until we fall silently into a fit of the giggles. It's the modern problem, the reason why Mum's guilt is issued free; Money or Time; which do children need?
Well, when they're at school, I work. When they're off, my time is, and hopefully shall always be, theirs.
WE had cake, drinks and coffee and one sanwich between us the other day at starbucks and it came to £14.00 !!!
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to half term as well as the weather is so good here at the moment. Our musem in Cardif is free too, but if there's an exhibtion you have to pay for that. Once when Gwenny was younger we were coping pictures in the art gallery. My son and I turned round to see Gwenny swinging for one of the huge frames!!!
We spent most of Christmas holidays in the cinema due to the wet weather.
Well it sounds like you have a good balance with the money / time thing. Money is always so darned useful but it would certainly be no replacement for spending time and doing things with your children. I like the beach and the woods because apart from petrol to get there and an icecream at the beach there is nothing to spend our money on!
ReplyDeleteYes you are spot on, guilt is free when you get children. I heard that the day I gave birth, a woman said to me "and now the guilt begins", I had no idea what she was talking about, but I do now.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy those holidays and giggle a lot.