For students, summer vacation is a time to temporarily put aside books to have fun, go home to visit grandparents or participate in experiential activities.
However, for many parents working at agencies and businesses in Lao Cai, summer is synonymous with worrying about finding someone to look after their children.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong (Lao Cai ward) said that both husband and wife work office hours, while they are far away, so every summer they have to plan very early.
This year, my child is in 4th grade, so I can also do some things myself, but leaving my child at home alone all day is still not comfortable. On busy days, I ask relatives for support, and the rest of the time I register my child to learn to swim and draw so that my child has a place to live while my parents go to work," Ms. Huong shared.
According to Ms. Huong, the expenditure for skills classes, semi-boarding or picking up and dropping off children during the summer has increased significantly, but this is a solution to help the family feel more secure.
Sharing the same worry, Mr. Tran Van Nam (Cam Duong ward) said that the most difficult thing is arranging time. Both husband and wife work from morning to afternoon, so they cannot always be by their child's side.
There are days when children have to stay home for a few hours before their parents return. I just hope that my child knows how to protect himself, limits using his phone too much and does not go out on his own," Mr. Nam said.
Many parents believe that what they want is not to have their children study fully scheduled in the summer, but to have more community playgrounds, clubs, summer activities classes or experiential activities so that children can both play, practice skills, and have a safe environment during the time their parents work.
With only a few weeks left, the opening drum will sound, closing the summer vacation and opening the new school year. For many families, that is also the time when the pressure to find someone to look after their children or arrange time to take care of their children temporarily subsides.
However, the story "children have summer vacation but parents are not allowed to have it" still reflects the reality of many young families today.
The development of more summer activity models, safe playgrounds and activities for children will contribute to helping children have a true summer, while reducing the burden on parents.
