Summer struggles of the SAHM are very real, my friends! Not only for the SAHM but also for us work-at-home moms too! How do you keep the kiddos entertained all summer? Do you really need to schedule a million activities to keep them busy? How do you keep a balance of getting your work done (house and other), keeping the kids alive and fed and not pulling all your hair out? Let’s check out a few summer struggles of the SAHM and how to cope with them!
Related: Summer Struggles Only a Parent of a Teen Can Understand
Summer struggles of the SAHM
Breaking the “I’m Bored” Cycle
It seems like as soon as that final school bell of the season rings, the sweet summer tune of ‘I’m bored’ starts. You can have the best activities planned, an amazingly fun summer family vacation or even a summer camp for your sweet little people, and yet they are still bored. I am not immune to this tune either. We could spend a fun filled day doing water activities or at the beach and when we get home, ‘I’m bored’. Really child?
Enjoy your kids
This seems like it is obvious right? One reason many of us are SAHM is so we can enjoy our kids. I will be the first to tell you that is not always the case. Summer can be long when you have a ‘bored’ child (despite all the activities you do). Get yourself in the right frame of mind for the summer so you can enjoy your children. One day they will be grown and you will be begging them to do things with you in the summer. Take a deep breathe, enjoy the little moments together. They fly by.
Adult time
Let’s face it, being at home and only talking to, entertaining and picking up after little people all day every day can wear a person down. You are not going to be the best mom you can be if you don’t get to recharge your own batteries. Be sure to set some play dates with friends who are also at home with their kids for the summer. Schedule a girls’ night out. Your family will thank you for it!
Water, water and more water
I don’t know what is so magical about water, but the younger kids could play in it all day long if we let them (and to be honest, sometimes I do). Ever notice, though, that just when you finally get them all dry and ready to go back inside, the dive right back into the water? Stop struggling against their aquatic urges and just give in! Whether it’s a sprinkler, a kiddie pool, the beach or a lake, water seems to keep them entertained, waterlogged and hopefully, tires them out at the end of the day. Fresh air and water does everyone good.
Work, house chores and happy kids?
It can all seem a little nutty when the kids are out of school. If you are like me and work from home, it is a blessing, yes, but your entire day has now been turned upside down for a few months. If your kids are old enough to understand, like my oldest, they need to know that mommy still has work to do while they are on break. Give them a time frame of how long you will work so they know not to bug you during that time. When that time is up, you are all theirs. Give them some responsibility around the house too. You don’t have to do it all! Balance is key. You might find yourself with some longer evenings to get your work done, but that is the beauty of working from home, you make your own schedule.
Summer can seem like it is never ending, and not in a good way sometimes, if you are a stay at home mom or work from home. A simple change in your mindset and how you approach summer break, can make or break you this summer. I am not denying the struggle is real! I myself need to take my own advice! Working from home and having a soon-to-be 7 year old and a toddler at my feet all day, part me dreads the summer. The other part of me looks forward to how I have the ability and freedom to schedule my days as I see fit!
I am a work at home mom. Summer is challenging for sure! It is so hard to find balance between working and being in the moment with the kids.
yes to all of these. We spend most of our summer days at the pool. :)
Great post! I will share with my SAHM friends…some of whom are already dreading the summer!
Yes to the water. I love these tips. Just an FYI, on my browser your share bar blocked part of your text and I had no way to move the bar or the post so I could read it. I had to guess at some of it.
WATER for sure!!! My kids love it and we just let them go in it- all day long they splash and play… it’s the best ever!
This past summer was my favorite summer as a stay at home.. I didn’t schedule as much and we kind of played things by ear most days. It helps we have a pool and live close to the beach. I find when I overschedule to keep them “busy” it just becomes busy and they are overtired and nobody is happy.
This will be my first summer as a SAHM. I am so excited, but need to figure out a schedule so I can get it all done and still have some me time.
I have been struggling with working at home and having 3 kids over the summer. I feel like I can’t get everything done when they are in school but then they are home all day