The end of the school year brings the promise of summer fun, but for many moms, it also signals a significant shift in routines and the potential for increased mental load. In this episode of The Thriving Mompreneur, Liz Kent, therapist and maternal mental health coach, shares practical tips and insights on navigating the transition to summer break.
She emphasizes the importance of establishing some structure and boundaries for children while also allowing for flexibility and downtime. Liz discusses strategies like visual checklists, creating a summer bucket list, and the crucial need for moms to prioritize self-care amidst the change in schedules.
She reminds listeners that summer doesn't have to be a constant whirlwind of activities and encourages them to embrace the slower pace and enjoy being present with their children.
Key Takeaways
Embrace the Transition: Allow a few days for everyone to adjust to the change in routine before implementing new structures.
Structure with Flexibility: Kids thrive with some predictability. Consider using visual checklists and schedules, but avoid over-scheduling to allow for spontaneous summer fun.
The Fence Analogy: Clear boundaries, like a fence around a playground, actually allow children to feel more secure and explore more independently.
Involve Kids in Household Tasks: Incorporate children in basic chores to foster a sense of responsibility and teamwork, freeing up time for enjoyable activities.
Balance Planned Activities with Downtime: Not every summer day needs to be a "production." Embrace slow mornings and unstructured play.
Create a Summer Bucket List Together: Involve the whole family in brainstorming and planning a few key activities to look forward to.
Prioritize Self-Care: Summer can be more demanding. Schedule in time for yourself, even if it means swapping childcare with a friend or hiring a sitter for a few hours.
Give Yourself and Your Kids Grace: The transition to summer can be challenging. Be patient and understanding with everyone as you adjust.
Quotes from the Episode
"We think of summer as just being this laid back, easy time and can be really fun and low stress. But sometimes as parents, it actually gets really overwhelming because we're setting up all new routines, schedules are changing, more unsupervised downtime, stressful feelings about childcare situations for parents."
"Kids really do thrive and benefit from structure and boundaries and expectations, and that it is really important to have that because they can really, then they know what the expectation is and they know how they're able to explore and they're able to kind of be a little bit more independent given those confines because they're not questioning what the expectations are."
"If you're with them 24/7 all summer long, that can be really long, particularly if that's not your schedule at all during the school year. Give yourself some grace, give the kids some grace as they transition into the summer."
Resources Mentioned
Host Liz Kent’s website: https://www.lizkentcoaching.com/
Summer Reading Programs:
Barnes & Noble summer reading program: https://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/our-stores-communities/summer-reading-program/
Pizza Hut summer reading program: https://www.bookitprogram.com/
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