Summer Survival Tips

My word. This summer may be the death of me. Lord knows, it's aged me. Just a few tidbits I've learned that I'd like to share in the spirit of motherhood (or fatherhood) survival:

*No matter how much a child BEGS not to have a nap, MAKE THEM TAKE A NAP!! Be firm. Be strong. The struggle is real, folks, but it's even worse when you don't hit the target head on (and the target is the child's...and your...need for a nap). If said nap doesn't happen, WWIII happens around dinnertime. It's not pretty. And it's not just happening with said child - said adult may lose it about that time too.

*Separate your children as much as possible!! This is also incredibly important for your mental health (as well as probably theirs, but that's not really the concern right now...) ;) Too much togetherness FOR ANYONE is bad. Especially bad for a certain 13 year old boy and his 6 year old sister. Yes, I know that makes little sense given the age gap...BUT BELIEVE ME - IT'S BAAAAD. They are apparently lacking in attention, which is ludicrous. **rolling eye emoji**

*Scheduling summer camps to keep your kids 'busy' while you try to work DOES NOT WORK. You become an unpaid Uber driver, you are on THEIR schedule, your kids are overly tired (not in a good way), AND YOU DON'T GET ANY WORK DONE. In fact, you end up working at 10:30 p.m. on a Friday night. Or 10 p.m. on a Thursday night doing laundry. Either way, not a win for you. AND you're out A LOT of camp fees...and gas.

*Oh - and if you have the 'luxury' of working from home, they don't actually think you work...for anyone BUT THEM. Even explaining that the toys, or bracelets, or freaking fidget spinners you bought them that day were because YOU HAVE A JOB THAT YOU GET PAID FOR, doesn't register. AT ALL.

*Enjoy those few seconds of togetherness you experience with your child one on one, because again, in 3.5 seconds, it all changes. Relish it.

*If you're now an introvert (I wasn't always), summer is basically your worst nightmare. There's kids, friends, people EVERYWHERE. They're coming and going at all hours. Plans change constantly (and for an OCD planner, this is an issue). No silence, no recollecting your thoughts, no walking around the house in your pajamas. Just random people in your house that you don't know and because some of them are teenagers, they haven't even introduced themselves to you even though you cooked them dinner. AND I RARELY EVEN COOK. But I digress.

So, as we enter the last half of summer, I pray for your sanity, for my sanity, for GOOD memories to be made...but I also pray for ALL OF YOU to recognize that just because one day doesn't go perfectly, you are still a good parent. You still love your kids. And they are still going to be okay. But dang, can't we just go back to our childhood where our parents just sent us outside to play and fend for ourselves?!?! It's our job to love and feed and protect our children. God didn't say we needed to entertain them EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY and GIVE THEM EVERYTHING THEIR LITTLE HEARTS' DESIRED.

*stepping off my soapbox