Keeping Your Cool While Parenting Over the Summer
Summer: the season of popsicles, pool days, and the mythical "slower pace." Except for many moms, it doesn’t feel slower at all. In fact, summer can crank up the chaos—and the pressure.
Whether you’re a working parent trying to juggle schedules that were clearly designed by someone who’s never had a job, or you’re staying home and already losing your mind before lunch... this post is for you.
Because while summer might be a break from school, it’s not always a break for you.
The Routine Is Gone... and That’s a Mixed Bag
Let’s be honest: the lack of routine can be both freeing and completely overwhelming.
On one hand, you don’t have to wake up at 6:30 AM to make lunches and pack backpacks. You’re not scrambling to sign reading logs or remembering it’s “wear yellow” day.
On the other hand, kids without structure often go full gremlin by 10:04 AM. And if you’re working from home or trying to maintain some semblance of sanity, that "freedom" starts to feel like a trap.
And if you’ve got more than one kid? That "trap" includes noise levels usually reserved for concerts, snacks disappearing like magic tricks, and a daily debate over whether popsicles count as breakfast (they don’t—but they’ve been eaten that way anyway).
Plus, the emotional dysregulation that comes when routine disappears doesn’t just apply to kids. You might notice yourself losing patience faster, struggling to feel grounded, or feeling inexplicably tense all the time.
For Working Moms: Camp Isn’t Summer Childcare
Raise your hand if you’ve ever paid $325 for a week-long half-day camp that ends at noon. 🙋♀️
If you’re a working parent, the summer schedule probably feels like a logistical nightmare. Camps are too short. They don’t line up with your workday. They don’t allow early drop-off or late pick-up. And suddenly you’re cobbling together a spreadsheet of relatives, neighbors, and backup sitters like it’s a full-time job in itself.
You may find yourself apologizing to your boss for the third time this week or taking meetings with your camera off while your child is painting the dog.
And don’t even get me started on the guilt. Guilt for not being around. Guilt for being stressed. Guilt for wanting a break from the very kids you miss while working.
And if you work from home? It’s the impossible overlap of Zoom calls and snack requests, muting your mic every five seconds, and wondering how you’ll ever make it to August without collapsing.
For At-Home Moms: You’re Not Off the Hook Either
You might not be punching a clock, but if you’re home with kids all summer—whether by choice or necessity—there’s a different kind of burnout.
You’re the cruise director, snack supplier, conflict mediator, and screen time monitor. All day. Every day. With no school breaks to punctuate the noise.
It’s the kind of work that no one sees but everyone expects. And even though you "should" feel grateful, what you really feel is overwhelmed, overstimulated, and very touched out.
You spend your day solving disputes about who got more grapes, cleaning messes you didn’t make, and answering questions like “Can cats be astronauts?” at 6:45 AM.
And if you work from home? You’re expected to parent and meet deadlines, often simultaneously. It’s not just multitasking—it’s emotional whiplash.
The Mental Load Hits Different in Summer
You’re still managing sunscreen. Bug spray. Wet swimsuits. Camp paperwork. Who needs what on which day. And somehow your kids are always hungry, always bored, and always covered in something sticky.
The mental load doesn’t lighten in summer—it just shifts. And when there’s no time to reset, your nervous system can end up completely fried.
You start questioning everything: Am I doing enough? Should I be more present? Should we be doing more learning activities? Am I ruining their childhood with screen time?
You might feel like summer is supposed to be “magical”—but you’re so exhausted, you can barely summon the energy to fake a smile during family outings.
This Is Where Burnout Breeds
If you’re finding yourself short-tempered, emotionally flat, or fantasizing about solo vacations you’ll never take—hi, you might be in burnout territory.
And let’s be clear: that doesn’t mean you’re ungrateful, unloving, or bad at this. It just means you’re running on fumes. And summer has a way of pushing already-tired moms past their edges.
Burnout in motherhood often looks like:
Feeling emotionally numb or checked out
Crying over spilled cereal (again)
Feeling disconnected from your partner, your friends, and even yourself
Yelling more than you want to—and then feeling guiltier than ever
Thinking, “I love them so much, but I don’t like this at all.”
What Can Actually Help?
Let’s talk about support that doesn’t rely on you just "trying harder."
1. Build in Anchors, Not Schedules
Instead of planning every hour, create a loose rhythm: breakfast, outdoor time, lunch, rest, screen time, free play, dinner. Kids thrive on predictability—not rigidity.
Anchors help kids know what to expect, and they help you avoid the constant, “What are we doing now?” interrogation.
Pro tip: Put a visual schedule on the fridge so you can point instead of repeat yourself a thousand times.
2. Claim Solo Time (Without Guilt)
You need time when no one is touching you, asking for snacks, or talking. Whether that’s waking up early, taking a walk, or hiding in your car with iced coffee—take it. It’s not selfish. It’s survival.
Repeat after me: "Needing a break from my kids does not make me a bad mom."
3. Say “No” to the Pressure
You don’t have to create a Pinterest summer. You don’t need a color-coded calendar or a themed snack every afternoon. Let good enough be good enough.
Let them be bored. Let them play in the dirt. Let yourself sit down.
4. Ask for Help (And Accept It)
This is a great time to swap childcare with a friend, say yes when someone offers to watch the kids, or even book a teen sitter for a couple hours a week. You don’t have to do it alone.
Pro tip: Have a "yes list" ready so if someone asks how they can help, you have an answer. ("Yes! I'd love help with school pickup Thursday.")
5. Keep Meals Simple
You’re not running a restaurant. Sandwiches, cereal, fruit, and frozen pizza are all acceptable summer staples. Nobody needs a charcuterie board to survive a Tuesday.
Bonus idea: Make a “snack basket” so kids can grab their own without asking 45 times an hour.
6. Make a "Break Glass" List
Have a handful of easy activities that actually work for your family—whether it’s a bubble bath, a backyard scavenger hunt, or a 20-minute show you don’t hate. Save these for when you're at your limit.
7. Consider Therapy Intensives
Sometimes, a weekly therapy session isn’t enough to unwind the stress that’s been building for months—or years.
That’s where therapy intensives come in.
As a Columbus, Ohio therapist who works with overwhelmed moms, I offer therapy intensives in Ohio that give you space to:
Process the rage and resentment you don’t feel safe saying out loud
Heal the guilt that’s weighing you down
Learn tools to regulate your nervous system (so you don’t lose it every time your kid screams)
Reconnect with who you are outside of motherhood
It’s not about fixing you. It’s about supporting you.
What Happens in a Therapy Intensive?
Think of it like emotional triage meets deep care. You get 1:1 time in a supportive, non-judgmental space with real tools and real relief.
You don’t have to wait until summer is over to feel better.
Whether you’re navigating burnout, postpartum overwhelm, identity shifts, or just plain summer stress, therapy intensives can help.
You’re Not a Summer Camp Counselor. You’re a Human.
You weren’t meant to entertain, regulate, educate, and chauffeur tiny humans 24/7 with no breaks. This job is so much. And it’s okay if it doesn’t feel like the best season ever.
Your kids don’t need a perfect summer. They need a present, regulated mom.
And you deserve to feel like you again.
Learn more about therapy intensives in Ohio or schedule a consult at [your website/contact page]. I’d love to support you.
You’re already doing something incredibly hard—and doing it with love, humor, and more resilience than you realize. You don’t need to white-knuckle your way through another season. You deserve space to breathe, tools that truly help, and support that actually sees you. Let’s figure out what that looks like—together.
