This archive report was first published on 27 October 2019.
With schools closed for the long holidays, parents in Kenya's major cities are bracing themselves for a challenging time. The freedom from congestion on the roads is a welcome relief, but the stress of caring for children at home is a different story altogether.
According to word on the ground, many parents are not pleased with the prospect of spending extended periods with their children. Modern-day living has made long holidays a stressful affair, with parents struggling to find ways to keep their children occupied and engaged.
Traditionally, grandparents played a key role in caring for children during holidays, but times have changed. Many grandparents now live in the city and are too busy with their own lives to take on childcare responsibilities.
As a result, parents are left to find creative ways to keep their children entertained. However, this is not an easy task, especially in a city where public playing spaces have been taken over by concrete jungles.
Parents are also anxious about the dangers that lurk in these public spaces, including child theft. As a result, many are turning to gadgets and phones as a way to pacify their children, but this too has its own set of problems.
Parents of pre-teens and teenagers are particularly stressed during long holidays, as they struggle to manage their children's mood swings and bad behavior. The added expense of feeding their children and dealing with their voracious appetites is just another burden to bear.
So, what can parents do to keep their children occupied during the holidays? Taking time off work is not a viable option for most, and sending them to expensive camps is not a feasible solution either. In the end, parents will have to buckle up and pray that come January, neither parent nor child is sick, mad, or dead.
