#Men #women #spend #holidays
Famous comedy by Maria Poledňáková How to get dad into a reformatory demonstrates, among other things, the “beauty” of the socialist mothers’ leave of those times. Daddy Luboš (František Němec) and charming Vašek (Tomáš Holý) climb the rocks and enjoy the summer. The beleaguered single mother Anna (Jana Preissová) scrubs the run-down cottage to which Luboš took her, allegedly as a “surprise”. She cooks every day, and for her the peak of relaxation is riding a bicycle to go shopping in the countryside. This is what women, who oscillate between work and home throughout the year, really want! Although the film was made in 1978, not much has changed in many families.
A wonderful holiday
“Wonderful vacations when, for economic reasons, you go to Croatia by car, supplies are brought, from which the mother conjures goodies for the family, which is taking a bath in the meantime, they are still in progress,” says psychologist Klára Veselá. According to her, many women accept it, saying that they want to give their children experiences by the sea and this is their only chance.
In a number of families, even today, surprisingly, there is an unwritten agreement that the one who earns more must necessarily be more tired. It’s unfair.
At the same time, we still have the idea that a woman should mainly take care of running the household (and individual family members) (even though she goes to work just like a man). Therefore, the question should be asked in the family: “Mom, does it suit you this way too?” If so, everything is fine. If not, it’s only fair that the adults take turns and everyone has their own space to relax. “In a number of families, even today, surprisingly, there is an unwritten agreement that the one who earns more must necessarily be more tired. It’s unfair because it’s mostly women who wear less. And that’s because they more often choose a job with family needs in mind and go, for example, for lower-paid jobs,” explains the expert. Not to mention that women get paid for the same work in many professions lower wages than men.
Travelers versus sealers
But not everyone enjoys traveling. “Dad worked abroad and my brother and mom and I lived there with him. He always went away for three years, then we came back for two years and went somewhere again,” my friend Markéta recalls of her childhood. “It looks great, but while my brother has always adapted well, I didn’t like the constant adjustment to a new school and new classmates. It progressed when I was twelve and I also started having health problems. In the end, I voluntarily returned alone and preferred to live with my grandmother and grandfather until I was eighteen.
A dream vacation can take place at a cottage in sweatpants, where you grow herbs and paint something.
The result is that my dream vacation takes place at a cottage in sweatpants, where I grow herbs and paint something.” Markéta’s husband, on the other hand, would prefer to travel all the time. Katerina, another acquaintance of mine, is the opposite. As part of his profession, her partner travels the whole country on business trips all year long and is fed up with it. Katerina is on maternity leave with two children and wants to change the environment at least on vacation. “The advice that we all go separately is a no-brainer. We want to spend our free time together,” he says. In searching for a way to reconcile, they came up with only one. Each year one submits to the other and they alternate.
Vacation at home or abroad?
Is it necessary to travel during the vacation and spend it somewhere far from home? According to a survey by the statistical office, about 19% of Czechs do not spare even a week’s vacation away from home. “They are not capable of this even with the most economical life,” says economist Petr Studnička. “The days when they took out loans while on vacation, as is still persistently argued, are over. People are more educated and cautious about this,” confirms and explains the change in behavior of psychologist Jana Markvartová. Therefore, more and more Czechs spend their free time in their own country. In campsites, hotels or guesthouses.
Wellness in the Czech Republic and the Maldives
According to experts, a vacation is definitely not a luxury that should concern only the chosen ones. It is an investment in health. Investment is not only meant financially, it is also about a respectful attitude that we should have towards ourselves. We don’t take vacations to brag about, but to heal. “We all need to switch off at least once a year, regardless of our profession or account status. But it is important not to let our well-deserved time off be spoiled by the media image of beautiful photos on social networks, which evoke the feeling that going to the sea or skiing in the Alps every year is a norm to which we are all entitled,” the psychologist points out. It’s not about whether you fly to the Maldives or go to wellness stay in a Czech spa. But simply find your own way that allows you to switch off even in adverse financial circumstances. Even if it was “just” roasting burritos in your parents’ garden or you had to drive a few kilometers from home to avoid worries, you can still enjoy a wonderful holiday.
