She has two children in their mid-teens, so she has quite a few school holidays worth of experience. As an equal income earner in her family, Melinda has always balanced her responsibilities as a mother and the demands of work from day one. With an established career with regular (and predominantly female) clients, Melinda has been able to schedule her work around the school holidays leaving her free to spend the time with her children. While it may sound like the perfect arrangement, it does come at a cost. She says the 10 or so weeks of the school term are very intense as not only does she need to make deadlines around the routine of the school week, she also has to be ahead on any assignments due over the holidays and for the two weeks after the holidays finish. With the additional financial pressure and family needs, the holiday break is well earned. And needed.