BalanceJuneIssue2017 - 23

S HE SAYS

The Edith edit
It's vital for children to experience family holidays - and if they
have to be taken in term time then so be it, says Edith Bowman
photography by BEN D UF F Y

T

ime off is precious. It's those days or, if
you're lucky, weeks when your only
worry is how to keep the kids occupied
for an hour or what to eat next. Getting
time off when the children are on school
holidays is not always easy, though, and it's definitely
not cheap - and that infuriates me.
Travel companies should be ashamed of how
much they inflate their prices, sometimes to the
point that families can't get away at all.
Being with family is really important. When I was
a child, my mum and dad worked so hard, day in
day out, that we were often like ships passing at
the breakfast table.
We had two holidays a year, where we would
fly off, just the four of us - mum, dad, my
brother Alex and I. It was special and, yes,
it was a luxury and, yes, we were very lucky
- but we didn't get to spend much time
together because of their work.

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school for two weeks twice a year. We didn't get off
lightly, though, as we were given some pretty meaty
homework to do while we were away.
There was a recent case where a family was fined
for taking their daughter out of school to go on
holiday. The family took it to court and won, but
then the case went to the Supreme Court, where the
ruling was overturned. The judge, Lady Hale, who
undoubtedly earns enough to fly her children first
class during the school holidays, said: 'Unauthorised
absences have a disruptive effect, not only on the
education of the child, but also on the work of other
pupils, and their teachers.'

SHARED MEMORIE S
What about the effects of not having quality
time with your parents? What about the
Supreme Court using its time more
constructively to stop travel firms hiking
their prices up by as much as 50% in the
holidays? At my kids' school, there are a
number of parents whose work means it's
not always possible to take breaks at
peak times but, thankfully, the staff
are incredibly understanding.
Spending time together
as a family, in places

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FAMILY FOCUS
My parents ran a hotel and their busiest
times were during the school holidays.
Thankfully, our local schools
not only understood how
impossible it was for them to
have time off in the summer
or over Christmas, but also
how important our family
time was. My parents were
allowed to take us out of

where they are exposed
to new languages,
different cultures and
making friends, has had
a profound affect on my
children. Through first-hand
experience, they are learning
new things, broadening
their horizons and building
shared memories. What
can be more important
than that? B

TRAVEL FIRMS
SHOULD BE
ASHAMED OF
HOW MUCH THEY
INFLATE THEIR
PRICES DURING
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

Listen to Edith Bowman at
Breakfast every weekday from
6am-10am on Virgin Radio,
virginradio.co.uk

June 2017 BALANCE

21
http://virginradio.co.uk
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