Summer vacations are when kids have all the time in the world to kill. How do working parents ensure that their child doesn't get bored? TOI speaks to a few parents

It's that time of the year again when parents are in a serious planning mode to keep their children busy — after all its summer vacations. And holidays are supposed to be fun, right? Well, yes, but it can be quite a task to keep the young ones occupied with all the time they have. And with both parents working today, it is quite easy for a child to feel bored.

Thankfully though, parents are using multiple ways to keep their little ones busy, with workshops and summer camps topping the list. Souravi Ray, an IT professional and a mother of an eight-year-old, says it is piece of cake to keep her daughter busy. "My daughter is an ardent reader," she explains, "Leave her alone with enough books and she is perfectly happy. We do plan to enroll her in a summer camp, which she herself suggested. And the fact that it is being conducted by a teacher she's fond of has gotten her doubly excited."

But not every one finds it easy to keep their children occupied and for many, a lot of planning is involved. Anand Sachar, father of a six-year-old and a management professional whose wife is a senior corporate lawyer, says, "Vacations are a time we have to do a lot of time management. Since my wife and I both have long working hours, it becomes a bit of a challenge to fill up all the time our son has. We plan to send him for a full-day summer camp. Also, my wife and I are planning to take leaves, one after the other, to spend time with him."

And this is also the time grandparents are in full demand. Jennifer D'souza, mother of two — an eight-year-old daughter and five-yearold son says, "My husband and I get really caught up with work, and this affects the time we get to spend with the kids. But luckily, our parents - from both sides - visit us for a month each and that makes things a lot easier. Kids stay busy with the grandparents and we don't have to worry about them."

While nuclear families, whose parents have stringent working hours, have to indulge in a lot of planning, those with flexible timings and those living in a joint family find it easier to keep their kids occupied. Swetha Agarwal, a child psychologist and a mother of two — seven year old daughter and five year old son - says, "My work hours are a bit flexible, so I send my kids for handwriting classes and swimming, while I attend to work. I keep my appointments during the time my kids are busy." But does managing time become a problem sometimes? "Not at all," she says, explaining, "I stay in a joint family, so that is the biggest advantage. If I am not around, there is always someone to take care of the kids. So, I have nothing to worry about."

Shweta Tibrewala, who lives in a joint family and owns an event management firm, says, "I choose one activity every vacation, which my son would like to specialise in and send him for that. This year he wants to learn football. Apart from this, we travel, and have a lot of family time at home with everyone around, as during school days, kids are busier than we are!"

BDST: 1846 HRS, Nov-18, 2014