How to make the most of holidays

By STANDARD on SUNDAY TEAM

Away from the fears and jitters hanging on to parents, some child experts are offering home grown solutions that will help beat the money blues and ensure children spend quality time with their parents and peers.

“Those in business should take this time to induct their children to the family business. This will ensure they are supervised, and at the same time doing something different and enjoyable,” says child psychiatrist Philemon Muraguri.

He says it doesn’t matter whether the business is a vegetables kiosk or a factory.

“You cannot tell a child on vacation to stay indoors, grab a set book and read it until you come back from work, something he has been doing for the past three months. We need to be more creative,” he says.

Life groups

Another possible solution is, for parents who can afford it, to enroll their children in life groups with children of similar interests.

“We have people who specialise in this now. Whether your child likes art, music, mathematics or travelling, there is a group out there for them,” he says, adding that a majority of young parents have become lazy and do not want to look for something worthwhile for their children to do.

“Then we ask ourselves where we went wrong as parents,” he adds.

Inevitably, prudence is the password that guarantees a happy festive season and a worry-free early 2014, at least according to financial experts.

“This has now become a cliché, but you will be surprised at the number of Kenyans who throw caution to the wind and jump into the season with little care,” says personal finance planner Lucy Aketch.

Care-free spending

Ms Aketch says many fail to budget and eventually have a tough beginning of the year. “The school fees, rent, insurance payments, new pairs of uniform, text books and the other basic bills weigh people down. People end up taking loans in January and spend the next eight months servicing them. By the time they recover it is December again and the cycle continues,” says Aketch.

Violet Chanzu, a business lady in Kakmega town agrees. “My family does not believe in spending during these holidays. Being happy and healthy is more important thing,” Chanzu says.

Mactilda Kuchio, a primary school teacher in the same town, says er.

She says keeping her two teenage girls out of mischief will be hard but she would stay vigilant and try to keep them occupied in a constructive manner.