Schools have just closed and for many parents, the atmosphere at home has already changed. The house is suddenly louder, the kitchen is under pressure, the sitting room has become a battlefield and the fridge is now opening and closing with the dedication of a government office stamp.
The children are home, full-time, full-volume and full appetite. And while many parents may be tempted to sigh, laugh nervously or start counting the days to reopening, this season should be understood for what it truly is: the official return of active parenting duty.
During the school term, many parents operate with a false sense of relief. The children wake up early, wear uniforms, carry bags and disappear into the hands of teachers for most of the day. In that routine, it becomes easy to imagine that the major work of raising a child is being handled elsewhere.
But school was never designed to replace the home. It was only meant to assist it. The closure of schools is therefore not a break from education. It is simply the transfer of the child’s development from the classroom back to the family.
Now that schools have closed, parents must remember that children are not on holiday from growth. They may be on break from books, assignments and exams, but they are not on break from becoming responsible human beings.
In fact, some of the most important lessons a child will ever learn are not taught in classrooms at all. They are taught at home; in the way they speak, the way they behave, the way they help, the way they handle correction and the way they treat others when nobody is grading them.
This is why parents must not allow holidays to become a season of complete disorder. A child should not wake up at noon, spend the entire day in front of a screen, eat without rhythm, ignore basic chores, and then sleep past midnight while calling it ‘rest.’
ALSO READ:
Masinde Muliro University dismisses claims of irregular Degree awards
That is not rest. That is a slow collapse of structure. Children still need routine, guidance and expectations even when school is closed. In fact, holidays are often the best time to build the habits that school terms are too rushed to teach properly.
Parents must use this season intentionally. This is the time to teach practical responsibilities that many children are dangerously unfamiliar with. A child should know how to clean up after themselves, make their bed, wash simple items, organise their space and contribute to the daily life of the home.
It is unfortunate when a child can confidently use a smartphone, quote TikTok trends and navigate YouTube with the skill of a software engineer, yet cannot wash a plate without flooding the sink and behaving like they are being tortured. Such a child may be educated on paper but untrained in life.
The holiday period is also a golden opportunity for parents to reconnect emotionally with their children. During school terms, life is often too fast. Everyone is rushing; waking up, dressing up, commuting, working, revising and sleeping. Families can easily become functional without being deeply connected. But when schools close, there is time to slow down and actually engage. Parents should not only supervise their children; they should also know them. This is the time to talk, to listen, to ask questions, to laugh, to notice moods and to understand the hearts behind the noise.
Many children carry fears, struggles, insecurities and silent questions that never appear in a report card. The holiday season gives parents the rare privilege of seeing their children beyond academic performance. A child who seems rude may actually be craving attention.
One who appears withdrawn may be carrying emotional weight. Another who is constantly noisy may simply be hungry for meaningful engagement. Home should not only be a place where children are fed and corrected. It should also be a place where they are seen, heard and guided.
ALSO READ:
PS Inyangala urges innovation as graduates face uncertain job market
At the same time, parents must become more alert than ever about what fills their children’s minds during the holidays. Once school closes, screens often become the unofficial teachers in many homes. Phones, tablets, televisions and endless internet access can quietly shape a child more powerfully than any classroom.
Many parents make the mistake of handing over gadgets simply to keep the children quiet. But silence is not always a sign of safety. A child may be physically still while mentally absorbing confusion, foolishness or values that slowly undo everything a parent claims to stand for.
Parents must therefore monitor content, set boundaries and ensure that technology serves the child rather than raising the child. Not every video is harmless. Not every cartoon is innocent. Not every online trend is harmless fun. If parents do not intentionally guide what enters their children’s minds, then the world will gladly do the teaching on their behalf; and it rarely teaches with wisdom.
However, it is equally important that holidays do not become a military camp of commands, chores and correction alone. Children also need joy. They need warm family moments, laughter, simple adventures, stories, prayer and the security of knowing that home is not only a place of rules but also a place of love.
Some of the deepest lessons children carry into adulthood are not taught through punishment or lectures, but through atmosphere. A child remembers how home felt. They remember whether they were tolerated or treasured, managed or mentored.
Ultimately, when schools close, parents must rise to the occasion with seriousness and purpose. This is not merely a time to survive children until the next term begins. It is a time to shape them. The holiday is not an interruption of parenting. It is parenting in its rawest and most revealing form. It exposes the values, habits and culture of the home in a way no report card ever can.
When schools reopen, teachers should not receive back the exact same child they released. They should receive a child who has grown in discipline, maturity, responsibility, and respect. That transformation does not happen accidentally. It happens when parents understand that once schools close, the baton has been handed back to them.
By Angel Raphael
Angel Raphael is a teacher and author passionate about education, parenting and guiding children to grow with discipline and character.
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
>>> Click here to read more informed opinions on the country’s education landscape
