Parenting stress this summer? Here's why and what to do about it

I talk to parents ALL the time in my practice. Some have infants, others have school or college-aged kids. Regardless of the age of their kids, they tell me the same thing: they're somehow more stressed out over the summer than at any other time in the year. Based on feedback from sessions and my own personal experience as a mom, I can attest that these are often the reasons why - and what to do about it.

1. We forget that we, the parents, need a break, too. It's so easy to be focused on planning activities and camp for our kids that we say "yes" all the time and forget that we can and do need to say "no" sometimes.

2. There often isn't a long enough break (if any) in between the end of the school year and the beginning of summer activities and then again transitioning back into the school routine in August. May is widely known as the "December of Spring" with kids having a lot of energy and excitment about being on a break. We simply cannot sustain that level of energy as parents and neither can our kids. As such, we need a break from constantly having things planned. Take a vacation. Take time off of work. Have your kids spend sleepovers at your family or friends' houses - and be sure to reciprocate at some point! Have whatever version of a mental health day you need and don't be afraid to say "yes" to a little extra screen time during this period before things become overwhelming again.

3. We are spending more time outside and staying up later. I often think about how much I slept before I had kids. My kids have typically been good sleepers and I still feel sleep deprived when they come in my room at 6am asking for breakfast and TV regardless of if they've slept 8 hours or 11. While summer weather is great, the sun staying up later and wanting to soak in that extra time throws off sleep schedules for all of us. I suggest having a hard cutoff time for outside time and bed time during the week and allowing an extension on weekends. Then, in August, start to gradually tweak things back the way they need to be for your kids to be functional learners and friends at school and more tolerable at home.

4. Just because our kids' schedules change doesn't mean our work and home responsibilities are. Work still needs to get done and you still have a household to manage. Meals need to be planned and prepped, laundry needs to get done and bills need to be paid on time. The summer is a good time to start instilling and practicing one new responsibility for each kid in the house that they can master and then continue to do during the rest of the year. Who takes out the garbage and recycle? Who puts away dishes and/or laundry? How does the dog get fed and walked? Who gets the mail and sorts it? You get the idea here - think about what makes sense for the ages of your kids and their ability levels.

Need more personalized help shoring up your stress management skills and making the remainder of this summer more tolerable? Let's talk!