Skip to content
  • Parents
    Find out how Faith in Kids can help…
    Help with...
    Resources
    Books
    Blogs
    Sharing Faith
    Navigating Life
    Other Blogs
    Training
    Upcoming Events
  • Kids' Leaders
    Find out how Faith in Kids can help…
    Resources for...
    Home
    School
    Church
    Our online training archive
    Blogs
    Keeping Going
    Navigating Ministry
    Other Blogs
    Training
    Upcoming Events
    Our Training Streams
  • Church Leaders
    Find out how Faith in Kids can help…
    Resources for...
    Home
    School
    Church
    Our online training archive
    What we're about
    Partner with us
    Blog
    Training
    Upcoming Events
  • |
  • Podcasts
  • Resources
  • Blog
Give
X-twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

Blog

blog

Parenting with Purpose: Holidays? – Part 2

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Sharing faith

Holiday envy is like every other kind of envy – kitchen envy, career envy, wardrobe envy – only it tends to be particularly acute during the summer months when “everyone” is having an amazing holiday – apart from you. In part 1 we acknowledged that no parent is ever entirely ‘off duty’ but for some parents ‘holiday’ of any kind feels totally out of reach. What do you do if money is so tight that there’s no possibility of going away? Perhaps you can’t even take time off work to be with your child at home. These things can be made harder by seeing ‘everyone else’ going away, enjoying what you don’t have.

One mum in this situation (let’s call her Suzy) says “It’s really hard. I feel like I am failing my son. It’s hard hearing about everyone else’s fun days out and trips away and I think people don’t understand.” At the moment her pre-school son loves the adventures of a bus ride and a trip to the park and doesn’t feel that he is missing out. But she fears for the future, when he starts to compare his holiday activities with his friends’.

If this is your situation, what would it help to remember?

• You are not failing your child. In Christ our children are blessed with a relationship with God now, and an eternally secure future in heaven, which far outweigh anything that even the richest parent could provide.

• God is not disappointed in us for not doing things that he hasn’t made it possible for us to do. Ask him to help you and your family value things as he does, rather than according to the world’s ideas of success. • God is at work in us all – the lack of a family holiday will not stop our heavenly father completing his good work in your children’s lives or yours.

• Holidays are not a universal right. Around the world and throughout history only a tiny minority of people have ever enjoyed this blessing.

• We have much to be thankful for – ask God to give you eyes to see what you have, rather than what you don’t. Many things that are easily accessible to us in the UK are considered luxurious by others – a family returning to England from overseas recently observed that safe and free playgrounds, parks, museums, and even pavements were a source of wonder for their kids!

• We can include others – play dates and joint outings makes the ordinary fun. Look beyond your own situation to see others for whom the summer is a difficult time. Perhaps an elderly friend or neighbour is lonely, or a single person whose life goes suddenly quiet when others go away. Might they like to be an honorary grandparent/aunt/uncle/older sibling? As Christian friends, how can we be sensitive to those in this situation? What practical help could we offer?

• Hand-me-down clothes, bikes, scooters, games, books & DVDs are practically helpful for those on tight budgets and can make the holiday season feel more exciting.

• Join together with other families to plan low cost or free outings – can you pool your discount vouchers or 2-for-1 offers so that another family can join you cheaply?

• Share food – keeping everyone fed over summer can be tough, especially with no free school meals. Can you arrange a playdate in the park and take a picnic big enough to share? Or as a church plan an activity where food is provided?

• Plan adventures – find out about free activities nearby that you can recommend to others; museums, playgrounds, a walk in the woods. Do you have camping gear or a holiday home that you could lend to another family so they can enjoy a new adventure?

• Swap houses – If you are going away, is there a family in your church who would love to house-sit for you (e.g. if you have a garden and they don’t)?

• Be careful – as we talk about our own holidays and as we post on social media. We don’t have to feel guilty about the good things we enjoy, but we should speak as thankful recipients of a good gift, not dissatisfied grumblers who expected better. If we speak or pray from the front in church services, or as we chat over coffee, avoid implying that everyone goes away over the summer.

• Be generous – Is your church able to provide financial help so that a family on a low income can have a night or two away or a special summer activity?

Suzy reflects “We can all have a ‘the grass is greener on the other side’ mentality about most things – kitchen envy, house envy, not just holidays. But you miss precious moments if you’re focusing on what you don’t have!! It’s not really about where you go but spending time together as a family if you can.”

Cathy Dalton

share
  • view all blog posts

Share Faith in Kids

Recommendations
  • Resources
  • Books
  • Podcasts
Support Faith in Kids
  • Prayer
  • Vision sponsors
  • Fundraising event
  • Vacancies
Upcoming events
  • View upcoming events
About us
  • Who's who
  • Vision, mission & values
  • Annual reports
Contact us
  • Get in touch
  • Register for updates
Legal
  • Complaints Procedure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Safeguarding Policy
  • Cookies

All content © Faith in Kids 2025.

Faith in Kids is a registered charity (charity no 1176335).

DL Popup
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Read More
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
PHPSESSIDsessionTo identify your unique session on the website
SESSsessionTo ensure that you are recognised when you move from page to page within the site and that any information you have entered is remembered.
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
__utmapermanentThis cookie keeps track of the number of times a visitor has been to the site pertaining to the cookie, when their first visit was, and when their last visit occurred. Google Analytics uses the information from this cookie to calculate things like Days and Visits to purchase.
__utmbsession__utmb is a Google Analytics cookie. It takes a timestamp of the exact moment in time when a visitor enters a site.
__utmc30 mins__utmc takes a timestamp of the exact moment in time when a visitor leaves a site.
__utmz6 monthsKeeps track of where the visitor came from, what search engine you used, what link you clicked on, what keyword you used, and where they were in the world when you accessed a website. This cookie is how Google Analytics knows to whom and to what source / medium / keyword to assign the credit for a Goal Conversion or an Ecommerce Transaction.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
  • Context

  • Resource type

  • Topic

  • Bible Book

Parents
Find out how Faith in Kids can help…
Help with...
Resources
Books
Blogs
Sharing Faith
Navigating Life
Other Blogs
Training
Upcoming Events
Kids' Leaders
Find out how Faith in Kids can help…
Resources for...
Home
School
Church
Our online training archive
Blogs
Keeping Going
Navigating Ministry
Other Blogs
Training
Upcoming Events
Our Training Streams
Church Leaders
Find out how Faith in Kids can help…
Resources for...
Home
School
Church
Our online training archive
What we're about
Partner with us
Blog
Training
Upcoming Events
  • Podcasts
  • Resources
  • Upcoming Events
  • Blog
Give
X-twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

Before downloading, please provide a few details

Your Role *
Mailing List

Submitting this form will set a browser cookie so we only have to ask you once.

Fields marked * are required.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Name *
Your Role *
Choose a password *
Mailing List
Loading