Blog: Of course parents love their offspring and cherish the quality time they have with them. But there’s quality time and then there’s the school summer holidays, writes Tracey O’Sullivan.

Show me any parent of young children and I’ll show you a person breathing a massive sigh of relief today that the six-week break is finally over.

Some may even crack open the bubbly tonight to celebrate surviving what has become an almost impossible mix of childcare juggling, stretching the household budget to breaking point, to simply tuning out to the constant moans of “I’m bored”.

Add into the mix more than one child and a parent will need to have developed the skills of an UN negotiator as while rows go with the territory for siblings, they intensify dramatically when school’s out for the summer.

Yes, six weeks can be a very long time when there’s youngsters to entertain.

For working parents the need to find temporary childcare during working hours is not just expensive but far from easy to organise and for those at home there is the constant demand for something to do.

Now I am a firm believer in the great outdoors and the limitless amusement to be had from letting your imagination run wild. But with the best will in the world today’s youngsters are not the greatest at making the most of these open and, more importantly, free commodities. And to be fair parents, in a world which appears to have more potential for harm, are not that great at letting them.

Most families will also want to share at least one special treat over the summer, if not one a week, and that is far from cheap. For example take the cinema. After Christmas the summer is the key time when most family blockbusters are released but with new 3D technology, taking a family of four can cost almost £50. That’s a fair old dent in the household budget and one which few can afford.

In fact there are not many family friendly attractions – although bravo to the Severn Valley Railway for its children ride for a £1 promotion. At least some kind of helping hand is needed for those who will have been tearing their hair out two days after the summer term ended. And that’s no exaggeration.

Attending a summer fair on the weekend after the schools broke up I was chatting to two mums who were watching their collective brood, five between them, run among the stalls before taking over the bouncy castle in what can only be described as a frenzied attack.

One looked to the other with that what I thought was an “ahh factor” face only for it to dissolve into clenched fear while she joked in an almost whisper: “Good job I have a stocked up on wine because something tells me I am going to need it over the next few weeks.”

I doubt she was alone in having that thought at the beginning of the summer.

The new term – it’s definitely good news for some.