The End of Summer for a Stay-at-Home Mom

Summer is definitely not the easiest of months for this stay-at-home mom. Summer is filled with constant snack requests, whining of how bored everyone is when they are not immediately entertained, and the occasional meltdowns due to less structured life with an autistic child. There is no doubt about it, caring for 3 kids in one house, day in and day out comes with some rough patches. But even with any lows that summer may bring, and the little bits of sanity I feel escaping myself as the children fight for the 10^th time over the same toy, summer still remains my favorite time of year.

I’m sure it sounds crazy from the outside. Like those parents who grumble about how hard raising kids are and then tell you they can’t imagine their lives without them. That is pretty much how parenting is though. I complain about how far behind I have fallen on housework. The stress of getting all that needs to be done completed while having three young kids attached to your hip is difficult. But that doesn’t mean that the alternative of not having them there is my preference. My kids are home with me all day long in the summer. Other than the occasional holiday break, this is the only time of year that I have this now.

I’ve already started getting the standard question from others asking if I am ready for the kids to go back to school? No doubt that things are a bit less hectic when they go back. The house turns from loud to quiet. From messy to somewhat clean. I have the me time that on some summer nights I dream of, and no doubt need on occasion. But when it is given in a long spread of time, it just starts to feel lonely. So even as they are running around and being the crazy kids they are, I know my answer to their question is still no. I’m never ready for them to start school. No matter how rough a summer day is, my answer will always be no.

Summer is our time for fun.

Our time to be outdoors.

Play in the hose, play in the pool, ride bikes, get dirty.

Summer is the time of extra long days.

Nights sitting outside on the porch making s’mores.

We still have our goals and we still keep a schedule, my Damion wouldn’t like it any other way, but our schedule includes playing at the barn, going to visit grandma, playdates with friends, and stopping for ice cream. We live in activewear and love movie nights at home knowing that we don’t have to wake up too early the next morning.

Summer is my time with my kids.

In a big way, summer feels like looking at my children’s lives as a whole. Sometimes it is crazy and messy and definitely stressful. But most of all, it is always just too fast. It just flies by so quickly that it is hard to even believe it is almost over. I am so thankful that I get this time with them, I know not everyone has this option. As the end of summer approaches, I feel myself scrambling to fit as much into the last few days as I can before my kiddos are back to being gone for so much of the day. Wishing so much for just a little more time.

So, as I gather their school supplies, pack their backpacks, and lay out their clothes for their first days, I look onto their excited little faces with a bit of sadness. I will remind myself that at least the weather is still nice. Maybe we can still find time for the outdoors in the evenings and weekends. I will work to keep myself busy; Trying to catch up on all the work that I have let slip through the cracks over these past couple of months. But really, I’ll be missing them. Missing our free time. I’ll be counting down the days until the next last day of school, with a whole new summer ahead of us, and just wishing that the next one would not go by so quickly.