"Why I'm happy to take my kids out of school next week."

School’s back but my kids won’t be.

It’s the last week of school holidays. School will be back next week and my kids should be returning to class, but they won’t be. Instead, I’m taking them out of school. For a holiday.

Yes, I am one of those horrible mothers taking my kids out of their educational environment to go fly on a jet plane and relax for a few days.

There has been much discussion about this with new ‘rules’ coming into place in public schools, with Principals given authority to ‘grant’ you leave.

Now, let’s clear something up first, I value education. I see its the importance. But do I also see the value in family holidays and world travel? Yes. And do I think this can be more beneficial then school time? Yes, without a doubt I do.

So why am I okay with taking my kids out of school during the school term when we've just had two weeks school holidays?

Firstly, taking holidays during the school holidays are not possible for my partner and I.

It must came as a surprise to schools, Principals and teachers around the country when I say that the rest of the work force doesn't get 12 weeks a year to pick their perfect holiday time. No, we get 4 weeks. And when two of us are working it means we need to line up those holidays if we want to take a family holiday.

And if you both work in somewhat seasonal jobs there is no chance of leave over Christmas/Easter/holidays and, depending on the job, even weekends.

So, for the non-teachers among us, family holidays take careful planning.

Along with this, travelling in the holidays is expensive. In fact the deal we got for our trip next week had block-out dates over all Australian school holidays so we were forced to book outside of them. Convenient, hey.

Taking all of this into consideration I think the policies of kids not having extra holidays during school term have overlooked a fundamental aspect of family holidays. They are amazing and can be so educational for our children.

Almost all holidays give children a different perspective on life - city to coast, coast to country, country to city. Even island holidays see children learning about marine life and new cultures.

We took a trip to Fiji a bit over a year ago and the things my son learnt on that trip without a doubt benefited him more than the two weeks he missed of school. He learnt a new language, he learnt a new culture, he saw a Fijian school and he learnt a new skill being able to snorkel in the ocean.

While our holiday next week isn't about experiencing a new culture, or learning a new skill, my fiancé  and I have no doubt our kids will have an enjoyable time. They'll be spending time with us as a family, learning about forming solid family relationships and the importance of relaxing in this crazy busy world we all live in.

I don't know how anyone can call that anything but beneficial.

I'm off to pack my bags. Bring on the family holiday time.

What do you think of taking kids out of school to go on a family holidays?

Want more? Try:

The new trend in family holidays.

Awkward family holiday moments.