Hoang Thuy, a mother in Thanh Xuan district in Hanoi, has told by her two sons, a first and a second grader, that she will arrange a busy summer for them.

The elder son likes to play games, such as Lego, puzzle and rubik cube, so Thuy is going to buy many toys of this kind for him. The younger son always insists on watching TV and videos on the internet. However, Thuy is persistent with her principle that summer is the time for relaxing without TVs and smartphones.

“I have turned off home wifi,” she said. “As they cannot access the internet and cannot watch TV, they will have to spend their time on other things, including playing with friends in the same residential quarter,” she said.

Unlike the other parents, who allow their children to sleep until midday on summer days, Thuy always wakes up her children at 7am, tells them to brush their teeth, wash their face and have breakfast on time.

“I want them to strictly observe order and discipline. If not, they will become lazy and slow when returning to school after the summer holiday ends,” she explained.

In order to keep the children busy, Thuy has asked them to help her in work. Thuy runs a small online shop which retails clothes and has told the children to help her deliver products to clients who live in the same residential quarter or nearby.

The two boys are happy when they can help mother and earn money. Thuy pays her children for the delivery service, so they can put the money into a ‘piggy bank’. Thuy believes that the money will help encourage children to work.

“I have applied the method for the last two summers and it really works well. My children have tasks to do, while I have more free time for cooking and for myself,” she said.

Dao Thanh, a parent in Giang Vo in Hanoi, is always busy with her business, but she is not feel worried about how to take care of her children this summer.

Believing that summer is the time for relaxing and physical work, Thanh has not asked her children to continue learning in summer. 

“I sent my kids to the countryside and left them there with grandparents,” Thanh said. “My hometown is near the sea, so my kids can play in the open air and sunbathe."

“Urban kids don’t have large spaces to play. I send them to the countryside anytime I can,” she added. “They can go fishing and fly a kite on the rice fields.”

Thanh said she has more free time in summer and spends the time on yoga, dancing and gossip with friends.

Nguyen An, a mother in Hoai Duc district, feels anxious as summer holiday has come. She cannot seek help from her parents who have to work every day. There are only two options – either bring the kids to her office, or leave them at home. 

An believes that she can’t work well if she has to look after the children while working at the office. But the kids may cause accidents when they stay at home.

She decided to install two security cameras, one in the kitchen and one in the living room, and leave the kids at home. The cameras allow her to watch the kids. A neighbor has promised to alert her if she notices any problem with the children.

Pham Thanh Ha, a parent in Ha Dong, initially planned to bring her son with her to the office. But she gave up after two days.

“My son caused noise at the office. He raised so many questions and bothered my co-workers,” she explained.

She has asked for permission from her boss to allow her to work from home for three out of five working days of the week. If the proposal is approved, she will be able to stay at home to look after her son while working.

“I think I will keep him busy by buying many coloring books,” she said.

Tu Linh