Some of these summer struggles are felt by every mom. Some of these are specific to working parents. Some of these are just my general complaints. But, there are just some things I need to get off my chest as a working mom during the summer:
Weekends
Exactly how many parties can we cram into two days? We have this struggle from June through September every year. Double or triple booked days are not uncommon and then we feel guilty when we just “stop by.” In the winter no one leaves there house unless it’s really important or a holiday. Relaxation is one of those myths that we always think it’s coming but then the running around begins and bam…Sunday night prep for the work week begins.
Kid Activities
I’m a fairly active mom when it comes to kid events. I love a good princess tea party or paint activity. For some reason, in the summer it feels like all of these activities are shifted to weekdays at 10:00am. I’m not sure why it’s always 10:00am, but that seems to be a popular time. Many invitations from well-intentioned mothers asking if we’d be interested in going; countless times I have to decline due to work.
Sunset after 8:00pm
This is one that most people think it great, and before I had kids, I agreed. Now, since we still need to get up early, I need my daughter to stick to a routine. This becomes an argument at bedtime when “it’s not even dark yet!” is heard regularly. I’m aware that this is one that I can’t change, but it’s on the list because it’s one of my struggles!
Facebook Posts/Mom Guilt
Watching parents who are either vacationing or my teacher friends or stay at home moms update about all the fun activities they’re doing with the kids makes me feel guilty that I’m not able to do the same. We’re cramming swimming, activities, all the parties, and hopefully some time for relaxing into two short days. It’s exhausting just writing about it.
Summer Camp Schedules
Okay, this one isn’t one we’re living yet, but I know it’s coming. Many of the camps we’ve looked at start at 9:00 and end at 3:00. How are parents supposed to work with kids at camp for 6 hours? Our typical workday is 7-9 hours, so what are we to do with the other time? In planning I’m anticipating that my vacation/personal hours will be eaten away at by having to come in late and leave work early many days. This seems like poor planning.
Fireworks
Before kids, I thought fireworks were the best. I always wanted to sit out and watch. Now I find myself cursing when the neighbors shoot off fireworks practically outside my daughter’s window. And at one point when fireworks were illegal in Rhode Island, the noise was limited to around the 4th of July. Now that they are legal, I find myself praying they don’t wake my daughter at least a few times a week.
I’ll be sad when summers over because while all of the above are struggles, those things also provide me with great memories.
1. Those weekend parties are crammed with people we love and while stressful I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
2. The weekday kids activities are sometimes too good to pass by so I take a personal day to enjoy with my daughter.
3. We splurge and stay up past bedtime some days just to enjoy a little extra time together.
4. The Facebook posts while I’m jealous of the things others are doing I also love seeing the people I love having fun or vacationing or relaxing (someone should!)
5. Short camp hours gives me an excuse to leave work early. With the extra time maybe we can fit in some extra swimming or activities.
6. Fireworks will come full circle when my daughter gets a little older and can appreciate them. For now, I’ll just enjoy the extra snuggles created on the nights they wake her up.
Finding the beauty in the summer struggles allows me to embrace the joys of summer!
