A Mom Nails The Exhaustion Of End-Of-Summer Parenting
And she has a message: It’s totally normal.
Summer is wrapping up (or maybe your kids are already back at school), and while the beginning of summer usually starts with excitement, activities, hours spent at the pool and vacations. Once August rolls around, everyone starts to get a little bored, a little agitated, and a little stir crazy.
The kids are fighting. You’re sick of making mid-morning snacks everyday. And everyone is just on each other’s last nerve. In many places, it’s too hot or smokey to even go outside. If you’re worried that you’re the only house suffering from this summer fatigue, one TikTok mom, who consulted some experts, swears that the end-of-summer turbulence is totally normal.
Content creator and mom Abby swears that if you feel like you’re a bad mom for removing screen time limits, being a bit more lax as a parent towards the end of the summer just to keep the peace, you’re not alone (and you’re also totally wrong.)
“You're wondering if you're a horrible mother because you're at your wits f*cking end and it's the end of the summer, and everybody hates each other and there's nothing else to do because you've already done everything and your kids are bored out of their minds so you just keep giving them screen time and tablets and Nintendo and literally anything that will keep them busy enough to stop trying to unalive each other and keep them out of your ass,” she prefaces.
“I'm here to tell you that I've talked to two therapists in the last two days and both of them have affirmed that this is normal. That you're not a bad mom. That it is simply that time of year.”
Abby goes on to explain that living through the hottest summer in human history doesn’t really help anyone’s journey to a calm and relaxing summer break.
“The hot-ass weather that the entire world is experiencing because it's quite literally on fire, also plays into your kids' attitudes and behaviors being absolutely horrid,” she says.
Abby assures parents everywhere that there’s nothing wrong with how they choose to manage irritable kids who are ready to slip back into their school routine.
“So, if you're feeling like you want to run away because you simply cannot keep the peace, your kids are at each other's throats. They're up your a**. They hate everything, everyone. You are not alone,” she explains.
“And it's okay because life is hard because it is. Parenting is hard because it is hard. Just because you're struggling right now, just because you might hate parenting right now does not in fact make you a bad mom.”
In fact, worrying about being a “bad mom” is usually the first sign that you’re not a bad mom at all. In fact, pretty sure that means you’re a good mom. Several moms posted in Abby’s comment section, feeling so seen that their kids were also getting on their last damn nerve.
“Thank you because I kinda just want to go sit in my car and cry some days,” one mom admitted.
Abby replied, “I cried earlier today. It’s ok.”
“Summer is too long here. I’d rather a fall break and double spring break,” another mom wrote.
Another said, “I am counting down the days! I'll miss her like crazy during the day, but we need a break.”
“I needed this! After a VERY full summer of camps, activities, pool, vacations, my kids have been feral. Take the remote, find your happy. Im out!” another mom echoed.
Whether you’re the mom who made it to the end of summer break and currently sit in a silent house while the kids are at school or the mom who still has 6 weeks of summer left with their kids, we’re all good moms and we’ll all get through this!
