Before summer officially begins I, because I’m a giver, have culled through years of Dear Snarky letters and come up the Top 5 most common summer problems that could plague your seasonal bliss. And because I believe so firmly in PAAA (Preventative Action to Avoid Annoyance) I have a plan that you can use right now to ensure that you won’t be writing me a letter this summer.
1) Set Boundaries – Like literally right now let the parents of the kid who is already ringing your doorbell at 8 a.m. because he wants to play at your house know you have a busy and unpredictable summer schedule and that their little love will have to wait to be invited over. Every summer, without fail, I get a lot of letters from moms that feel like they have taken on another child for the summer. The way to stop this is to be kind yet firm in establishing boundaries.
2) Beware of the quid pro quo of someone taking your child with them on vacation. Yeah, it’s nice to get rid of junior for a week, but be prepared for the family that took your kid to the beach in Florida to expect some form of payback as in, “Wait, why did you go to the lake and not take our kid when we let him spend a week with us?”
3) Gird Your Loins for the Perfect Summer Over share. Do not let yourself feel badly that your summer is not Instagram worthy. In fact, rejoice that you don’t feel the need to Photoshop your life into faux perfection because, that my friends, is a cry for help.
4) It’s Okay to Be Sick of Your Kids. Trust me if you hit August you’re not counting the days till school starts it means your kid has been at summer camp or grandma’s all summer. Being sick of your kids doesn’t mean you’re a bad parent it just means you’re human and honest. Don’t buy into all the mommy hype of how sad you should be that your kids will be starting school soon. PLEASE!!!
5) Pace Yourself With Those Summer School Assignments. Just a great big yuck on any school work in the summer besides reading for pleasure because it means one thing and one thing only – you, as a parent, will have to enter the nag zone. The way I look at it you have two choices: Have your kids do a little bit each week or do the last-minute hustle starting August 1. I have always chosen the last-minute hustle because I want as much of summer as possible. The only downside is that you spend the first two weeks of August turbo harassing your kids.
I hope this helps and if it doesn’t remember I’m always here for you. Dear Snarky, remaining forever vigilant, never takes a vacation. 😉
If you have a question for Dear Snarky “21st Century Advice With An Attitude” please email me at snarkyinthesuburbs@gmail.com or private message me on the Snarky FB page.
Snarky in the Suburbs 