Relief for some, panic for others

Dirty feet. A sure sign of summer. And little boys.

I don’t know about you but this time of year I’m so stressed out from kids’ activities to end-of-the-year school stuff, I’m just ready for summer. I just want my kids out of school so we aren’t slaves to the routine anymore. I don’t want to make any more lunches at 7:00am. I’m just done with all of it.

But there was a time not too long ago that the thought of summer would send me into a cold, sweaty panic. Many of you moms with toddlers know what I’m talking about. I want you to know I SEE YOU. I KNOW IT IS ABOUT TO BE SO HARD FOR YOU. Having toddlers and babies at home 24/7 for 3 months is no joke. For me, it felt like I was living the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day. It was the same day over and over again for infinity. Or that’s the way it seemed. I mean, how many times can an adult listen to Elmo talk before she starts twitching? How many times can we endure the God forsaken park? How many messes can we clean up? How many times can we lose a paci? How many times can we say “No”? How many half-eaten meals will we throw away only to be asked for a snack 20 minutes later? How many pounds of goldfish can we feed our children? How many times can we hear the words “I hungryyyyyy” without our ears falling off? How many times can we hide in the bathroom just to get some alone time? I can’t tell you the exact number of times you will do these things; all I can tell you is it will feel like infinity. Moms of littles, I SEE YOU. You can do this. It’s 12 little weeks. Mark off the days on the calendar if you have to. (Of course, don’t tell anyone or you will be shamed endlessly for not wanting to spend every waking moment with your precious children.) Call in back up (read:: grandparents) if you have to. You will survive.

I can tell you these things because I am now on the other side of it. I’m finally one of those moms who can’t wait for summer! It finally happened! I never thought I would make it to this point. When my kids were little they were fun but they needed so much of my physical attention that I was always exhausted. Now, my kids are pretty self-sufficient and are fun to take places and do stuff with. They’re a little more independent which makes life a lot less stressful for me. They can actually walk themselves to the neighbor’s house and I don’t have to go with them. And I don’t have to call it a play date. I was never good at scheduling a social life for my kids; let’s be honest, I have a hard enough time scheduling my own that’s why I married someone who likes to do that sort of thing.

Moms, the littles will not eat you alive this summer. Hang in there. It only gets better. Promise.

-Courtney

Follow me on Facebook & Twitter!

Can’t get enough? Click here! I’ll send these to your inbox.