At 5 am, the level-four house in Moc Chau ward, Son La province was lit up.
Ms. Nguyen Thu Trang is busy preparing breakfast, washing the remaining unfinished clothes and then waking up her 9-year-old son. Unlike school days, summer makes all her plans turned upside down.
You have summer vacation, but I don't," Ms. Trang laughed but her voice was full of fatigue.
Her husband is in business and often goes on business trips. She is an accountant at a private company. The couple does not have grandparents to support them, so from the beginning of June, the childcare problem has become a constant worry.
In the morning before going to work, she prepares food for her children. At noon, she takes advantage of calling to remind her children to eat rice. In the afternoon, after work, she hurries home before dark.
Every day I make at least 7-8 phone calls to my child. If I don't call, I worry that my child is busy playing on the phone, calling too much will make my child uncomfortable," she recounted.
In many families, when children are on summer vacation, the mother almost becomes the main person responsible for everything related to the children.
From registering for summer classes, finding places to send children, arranging daily routines to managing eating and sleeping.
Ms. Pham Thi Huong, a worker at an industrial park in Thai Nguyen, said that summer is the time she is most afraid of.
The shift starts at 7:30 am and ends at 6 pm. Meanwhile, the two children who are in elementary school have to stay in the rented house all day.
Many people think working as a worker is only tiring in the factory. Actually, when the shift ends, it's the start of my second shift," she said.
When she gets back to the rented room, she is busy cooking, washing clothes, checking summer homework and cleaning the house.
There are days when her child has abdominal pain or sudden fever, she has to take leave from work. Taking a lot of leave means reduced income.
Taking a day off costs diligent work. But looking at my child lying with a fever, I can't go to work either," Ms. Huong confided.
What puts pressure on many mothers is not only the workload but also the feeling of having to shoulder responsibilities alone.
Many women said that their husbands still support taking care of their children, but most of the things that need to be thought about and calculated are done by them. From remembering the vaccination schedule, preparing food to finding a suitable summer school.
My husband loves his children very much, but when the children are on summer vacation, the person who has to worry about who will look after the children today, what to eat, where to stay, what to study is still me," Ms. Trang shared.
