Your Guide to Simplifying Summer Break as a Stay-at-Home Mom
Simplify summer break and discover plenty of joyful moments, connection, and ease along the way with Mother Untitled’s guide to navigating summer as a stay-at-home mom.
As the school year winds down, every mother I know is fighting off some level of panic. One friend describes her summer calendar as a jigsaw puzzle, filled with myriad camps to keep her daughter’s boredom at bay. Another laments the exorbitant cost of summer child care, while someone else in my circle feels resentful that the burden of caregiving falls squarely on her—simply because she’s the partner with flexible work.
Across the country, parents are making plans for the summer months, all while juggling a host of emotions—from anxiety to delight, excitement to overwhelm. After all, when you’re a parent, this season off from school can be a far cry from the slow and mellow summers we once knew. And resources for navigating this unique time of year? Well, they’re few and far between.
So how do you keep your wits about you while fielding endless snack requests and filling the hours your children would otherwise be in school? Read on for Mother Untitled’s guide to simplifying summer break—and finding plenty of joyful moments, connection, and ease along the way.
Solve the Child Care Conundrum
Parenting when your kids are home on summer break means a lot of child care. Here’s how to start the right conversations and divide that labor with your partner, according to a relationship therapist.
When you’re suddenly down to one income, paying for child care, no matter how sporadic, can feel like an extravagance. Here’s how stay-at-home mothers across the country make it work.
Keep Kids Entertained
Tired of seeing your child illuminated by the glow of a tablet? Check out this list of screen-free summer activities for kids, each focused on engaging their imagination and tickling their curiosity. Bonus: Most are free!
If your child’s invitations to play find you itching to escape, there’s hope for you yet. Two experts shed light on why you’ve been fishing for excuses—and how you can find joy in playtime this summer.
Work Alongside Kids
How do you work from home with kids underfoot? One stay-at-home mom shows us how she keeps her focus amidst endless snack requests.
The key to getting work done with children at home is to lean into independent play. Here’s how to get started, no matter your child’s age.
Keep Your Cool & Keep Things Easy
These real-life tips and schedule tricks from stay-at-home parents are meant to simplify your days and give you time back to spend as you please.
“This isn’t to say that kids can’t be disruptive or even annoying. But if we shift the lens to reveal they are the job, they are the ultimate priority we get to enjoy in this life, then everything else is interrupting that experience instead.”
In the absence of a daily routine, my kids start to unravel, responding with more whining and mischief as we inch further into summer. But then, a child development expert offered me a solution.
Vacationing with young children means little rest for the weary. Here’s how to reframe the idea of a relaxing family trip so you can actually enjoy yourself.
