The whole concept of spending summer break with your kid is super cute, well, from a distance it is at least. Because that’s when it’s usually loaded summer activities for them to do (and you can probably live out your childhood again or create a magical summer childhood for them). Plus, the whole concept of the kids being at home- there’ll be pool days, popsicles, family time, long evenings, little day trips, all that sweet stuff is super nice too.
And sure, some of that happens. But also, there’s a child asking for lunch at 10:42 in the morning; you have to deal with more toys than usual everywhere, and it’s wet everywhere- wet towels are everywhere, backyard filled with toys, a messier house than usual, and well, you get the point here. Basically, weekend and weekday responsibilities being multiplied by like 100, needless to say, here, that’s a lot to manage!
You probably know and understand this, but summer with kids isn’t just emotionally tiring. It’s physical. Like, body-aching, feet-hurting, knees-feeling-older-than-they-should physical.
The Magical Childhood Dilemma
A lot of parents want their kids to have that magical summer, and yeah, of course they do. The park trips, the swimming, the vacation, the hikes, the backyard projects, the water park day, the amusement park, the little memories they’ll hopefully talk about later. But the adult making all of that happen is still a person with joints, energy limits, balance, hormones, stress, laundry, errands, meals, well, everyday life, and responsibilities.
Sure, maybe when you were 22, you could handle all of this with flying colors, but now? Well, probably not. So, how can moms, well, parents in general, avoid getting totally wiped out from all of this?
Those “Fun Days” are Usually a Lot of Physical Labor
Well, just think about it for a moment here. Because a pool day sounds easy until it’s actually time to leave the house. How? Well, first there are towels, then the swimsuits. Then sunscreen, and your kid can’t find something they want, like swimming goggles, so you then have to help them. And it gets to the point where it seems like you’re overpacking here. So, by the time everyone is buckled in, the day has already taken effort. You see? Oh, and that’s before you even leave the house (assuming your house doesn’t have a pool).
And one more thing here: at the pool, a mom isn’t just lounging there like some vacation commercial. She’s watching the water, checking who needs sunscreen again, keeping track of shoes, opening snacks, answering questions, telling someone not to run, holding the wet towel nobody wants anymore, and probably standing more than she expected.
Sure, movies and shows like to make it look like a mom is lounging, but that’s very rarely the case. So a pool day is merely an example here, but you can apply similar logic to a day out of any kind.
Yes, Your Shoes are a Big Deal
There’s always that summer temptation to throw on whatever shoes are by the door and call it fine. Are you guilty of this? Most parents, well, most people in general, parents of not. Like usually it’s flip-flops, old sandals, cute slip-ons that looked comfortable enough for errands, yeah, those. Which is fine for maybe an hour or two, but that’s literally it.
So, then the day turns into six hours of walking, standing, carrying bags, crouching down to help a child, climbing bleachers, walking over gravel, or so on. But bad shoes make it so much worse here because they basically provide zero support. They hurt the feet, the ach, the knees, the lower back joints, and it just makes getting through the day so much harder. So it’s probably time to just pick the supportive shoes, the tennis shoes, or at least add some insoles to your shoes for support.
Moms’ Pack for Everyone Except Themselves
Just like moms tend to take care of everyone else but themselves, and yes, that usually goes with making sure their spouse has everything they need too. But yeah, kids have snacks, they have water, they have backup clothes, backup shoes, sunscreen, hats, towels, wipes, little toys, extra snacks, emergency snacks, the snack they specifically requested and then refused to eat, all of it. Oh, and the moms?
Well, a warm water bottle that was probably rolling around the floor board of their car for a day or two (which might be dangerous to drink), maybe an old granola bar in the purse, those uncomfortable shoes that were mentioned earlier, and probably not even enough sunscreen on them. Yep, that sounds like a typical mom in the summer who’s being stretched too thin.
You Deserve to be Taken Care of Too
It’s almost funny, except it’s also the exact reason so many moms end up physically wrecked after outings. The adult doing the carrying, driving, supervising, walking, bending, lifting, and problem-solving needs to be on the packing list too. You are literally and metaphorically speaking carrying all this weight!
So, for long summer days, be at a beach, national park, water park, vacation, well, literally anywhere outside the house, you need to pack things fr yourself too. Especially if you’re going to be physically active. So, that might include packing more food than just a granola bar for yourself, sunglasses, a knee brace support if you have a bad knee (or at least it’s getting to the point where it’s feeling uncomfortable), more sunscreen, more water; hopefully you’re getting the point. Stop taking all the leftovers; you deserve so much more.
Not Every Summer Day Needs “Magic”
While sure, you might be seeing plenty of moms showing off how they’re giving their kids a magical childhood on social media, hopefully you don’t believe this is something they’re doing daily, because no, they’re not. But really, here, this might actually be the part moms need permission to hear, because the pressure is real.
Summer can start feeling like a performance, like every week needs a trip, a themed activity, a cute outing, a learning moment, a family adventure, and a photo to prove it happened. But kids don’t need a magical production every single day. They can have boring days too; they’ll remember those big things and those tiny things too; they’ll look back on all of it fondly. So don’t force yourself to stretch yourself and do all of this, because theres no need.
