Why I want to swap a week of summer holidays for a mid-year reset

Summer holidays can spare one week - winter’s where we really need the break.

I know, I know. It’s sacrilege to speak ill of the sacred summer school holidays - that six-week-plus stretch of sunshine, ice blocks and family time. I love summer. Truly.

Look, I live in Northern NSW where we still swim at the beach in winter, so I know I’m coming from a place of privilege when I say this, but hear me out: I would trade one week of summer school holidays for a longer winter break in a heartbeat.

Because by the end of Term Two? We are cooked. Not just the kids. Not just the teachers. All of us. Every parent I know is limping towards the end of term, barely holding it together with lukewarm coffee and end-of-term WhatsApp chaos.

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Say what you want about camping, but marshmallows taste better in winter under the stars. Image: Supplied.

End of term-two doldrums are real

The kids are done. Their energy? Gone. Their motivation? Non-existent. The school uniforms we forked out for at the beginning of the year? Held together by safety pins and the mercy of the budget gods. Kids are cranky, distracted, overtired - and fair enough. Two terms deep into the school year, with nothing but winter's soggy footy boots and more long division to look forward to, it’s no wonder they’re spiralling.

Teachers? Saints. Absolute saints. But they’ve been “on” for nearly 20 weeks straight, navigating classroom dynamics, nits, lesson planning, admin, and about fourteen different versions of a cold. And the kicker? They still have two terms to go before they hit the holy grail: summer holidays.

Surely we can all agree they deserve a mid-year morale boost. A chance to recharge, reset, and get through the second half with something left in the tank.

And parents? We are doing our best. But winter sport is a full-time job. Football training. Netball training. Someone’s got to pack the oranges. Someone’s got to wash the uniforms. And someone’s got to yell “GET IN THE CAR” for the fifth time on a freezing Saturday morning while trying to locate a single matching pair of socks. (It’s me. I’m someone.)

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Is one week extra at winter too much to ask?

A three-week winter break - just one extra week - could be the thing that saves us from burning out completely. It’s a chance to pause, to catch our breath. To stay in our pyjamas a little longer. To let the kids be bored without guilt. To remember what our family looks like when no one is sprinting to get to assembly on time.

Yes, summer holidays are iconic. Beach days, mangoes, sticky fingers, long days. I get it. I love it. But even the best holidays have an expiry date, and I don’t know a single parent who hasn’t stood in the last week of January, quietly muttering “they need to go back now” under their breath while hiding from the onslaught of requests to take someone somewhere .... and pay for it too.

And let’s be honest - those last few days of summer break are rarely anyone’s best parenting. We’re fried. They’re fried. No one’s brushing their hair. We’re all aiming for February and trying to remember which child needs a new lunchbox.

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Fun fact: Kids are 47% cuter when they're rugged up and snuggly. Image: Supplied.

If we rebalanced just a little - trimmed one week from summer and gave it to winter - I genuinely believe we’d all feel better. The kids would have a reset point before launching into the back half of the year. Teachers would feel like they could finish strong instead of just dragging themselves over the line. Parents might even emerge from winter sport with some dignity intact.

It’s not just about the logistics. It’s about rhythm. About breaking up the long slog into more manageable pieces. About acknowledging that the juggle is real and sometimes, the people doing the juggling need someone to throw them a towel and say “sit this round out.”

Of course, some people will say kids need a long summer break to decompress and make memories. And I agree. But they also need a chance to pause mid-year - not just collapse into holidays with a stress rash and a library book they forgot to return.

So, let’s at least start the conversation. What if we reshaped our school calendar to better reflect the needs of modern families, teachers and kids? What if we swapped hustle for harmony - just a little bit?

In the meantime, let’s be kind to each other. If you see a parent crying into their drive-thru coffee this week, offer them a smile. If your child’s teacher looks like they’ve seen some things - they have. 

Because we’re tired. We love our kids. We love our teachers. But a mid-year reset might just be the thing that gets us all to December in one piece.

Originally published as Why I want to swap a week of summer holidays for a mid-year reset