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Key takeaways:
21% of parents spend over €1,000 on summer childcare, with 58% dipping into savings and 18% taking on credit card debt.
73% of parents start summer feeling stressed or conflicted, and 37% reach September feeling more exhausted than ever.
28% of parents sacrifice their social lives during summer, while 14% get less sleep, and 22% struggle to find time for personal development.
Yet, despite the expense and sacrifices, 64% say having children encourages them to make the most of summer, and 61% say it makes them feel closer to their kids.
Summer isn’t all sunshine and sangria.
With school out and work still very much in, parents have to juggle their day jobs while working part-time as personal chefs, entertainers, travel agents, event planners, and logistics managers.
Headway surveyed 2,000 Spanish parents on the struggles of childraising during the summer months, the sacrifices they make to give their kids a break to remember, and whether the return is worth the investment.
The summer tax: Counting the cost of childcare
School might be out, but work isn’t.
Needing someone to feed, water, and entertain their kids from nine to five, 54% of parents shell out more than €500 during the break on summer schools, camps, and babysitters – with 21% spending north of €1,000.
With more mouths to feed and minds to occupy, the bill is often bigger for those with more than one child. Some 38% of parents with two or more children spend upwards of €1,000 on summer childcare, compared to 16% of first-time parents.
Eleven weeks is a long time, and summer camps help to keep kids busy, social, and off their screens. But they don’t come cheap, with 36% of parents spending as much on camps as they do on their monthly mortgage or rent – and 16% of those spending more.
Forget saving for a rainy day. Parents need to save for when the sun comes out.
With their expenses doubling overnight, 58% have to dip into their savings to see them through summer, while 19% cut back on daily essentials, and 18% put it on the credit card to worry about in autumn.
Flying solo: The stress of summer for unsupported parents
Sun, sand, and… the struggle to hold it all together. While summer offers longer days, more time with our beloved children, and a welcome break from the school run, 73% of parents start the holidays feeling stressed or conflicted about having them home full-time.
It might take a village, but for 49% of parents, the stress of planning out the summer break is handled almost entirely alone.
After another year of working hard to fund all those camps, trips, and activities, Mum & Dad deserve a well-earned break, too. Yet, while 23% can count on loved ones for up to a week, and 35% receive a helping hand for two to four weeks, 32% navigate the summer without any real support.
Out of office, still on duty: The lack of summer break
The sunshine puts most employers in good spirits – 32% of parents are offered flexible hours or remote working to make summer childcare easier. Likewise, 17% are offered extra paid leave during July or August, and 13% are allowed to work four-day weeks.
However, 32% are offered no support whatsoever, forcing them to figure out childcare on their own time and dime.
When temperatures rise, many parents burn through their holiday allowance. Some 37% book off up to a week to cover childcare gaps, while 17% take up to two weeks off, and 19% part ways with 15 or more days – close to a third of their annual leave.
Tasked with keeping the kids entertained and ensuring they have plenty of stories to take back to school, summer childcare can feel like a second job, with 37% of parents entering autumn feeling more exhausted than when summer arrived.
Sun-soaked and sleep-deprived: Common summer sacrifices
Pastimes: postponed. Downtime: delayed. Catch-ups with friends? Canceled.
Wanting to give their kids a summer break to remember, many parents put themselves second, sacrificing sleep (14%), hobbies and personal growth (22%), and their social lives (28%) to fill every day with memories that last a lifetime.
When we’re busy raising kids, there’s often little time left over to focus on improving ourselves. While 52% of parents manage to scrape together an hour or two for learning each week, 19% can’t find a moment spare.
Yet to discover the simple activities that buy twenty minutes of silence, the early morning exercise that guarantees a nap, or that it's okay to let the television babysit every once in a while, first-time parents tend to feel the summer the most – with 21% struggling to find a single moment for personal growth, compared to 15% of those with two or more children.
Motivation is hard to come by when you’re running on coffee and sheer willpower. Yet, 92% of parents find a moment to focus on their own growth – usually tucked into the evening once the kids are in bed (35%), on weekends (20%), and whenever time allows during the day (15%).
And, honestly, that’s plenty. Five minutes of micro-learning each day is enough to make headway. Plus, it stops a lack of progress from putting a dampener on your summer.
No refunds, no regrets: The perks of parenting during summer
Trips to the zoo, breaks on the coast, and plenty of memories made. Without kids, summer would probably be spent on the sofa with our favorite streaming services. For all the sacrifices, sleepless nights, and drained savings accounts, 64% of parents insist that having children pushes them to make the most of the sunny months.
The credit card bills, sleep debt, and social drought aren’t all for nothing. In fact, 84% of parents say navigating summer with children has taught them useful life skills – dealing with stress (53%), managing time (51%), and setting boundaries (22%).
But, most importantly, it gives them time to spend with their loved ones, with 61% admitting they feel closer to their children during the summer break. And that’s worth every cent.
