Moms, I have a confession to make, I've hit the wall. In the beginning of the summer I was full of piss and vinegar. Summer vacation could not start soon enough for me, I had our bucket list planned and thanks to Pinterest a bucket load of rainy day activities. Then, somewhere around Mid-July, I hit the wall. I did not want to do another activity with those "wonderful" children. The fussing, fighting, all day right there in my face has worn me down, I am in the 5 stages of summer vacation.
Stage 1 - Shock and Denial
This occurs Memorial Day weekend when you realize the kids have about two weeks of school left and you haven't even thought about summer vacation. You frantically start messaging your friends to find out what they're doing with their kids this summer. Hopefully, you can piggyback off their ideas.
Stage 2 - Anger
About two weeks after the kids are on vacation and your first full week stuck inside because the thunderstorms have started, anger starts to seep in. You find yourself asking questions like: "Why can't they all just get along?", "These can't be my children?", "Why can't you find something to do, you have all these toys to play with?", "How many times do I have to tell you to stop?", and "Why can't you just leave her alone, can't you see she's in a mood?" You find yourself looking at the calendar and you realize that you have at least 5 more weeks of this left. This is also about the time when the sound of "Mommy" being whined loudly from the next room makes your eye twitch.
Stage 3 - Detachment/Depression
You're no longer angry, you've gotten to the stage where "Mommy's special juice" (wine) greets you every morning with a side of eggs. The kids are finger painting on the wall but you don't care, you'll just tell the Hubby you saw it on Pinterest and wanted to try it. You've burned your summer bucket list and are now just trying to make it through the day. The end is near but not near enough.
Stage 4 - Bargaining
"Please can you take my kids to the park with you, I'll babysit any time you want." This is what you find yourself saying to any neighbor that will still open their door to you. Your kids have had more play dates this month then they had the entire school year. You've gone down the parent list from their last grade and made play dates with kids that your kid doesn't even remember who they are. You tell them you're encouraging them to make new friends but secretly they know its B.S.
Stage 5 - Acceptance
You've made it, it's the end of August and the Back to School crap is out. You can smell the lead in the pencils, taste the PB&J, it's a wonderful feeling. You feel so great, you get your groove back. The charred bucket list comes back out and with a renewed sense of urgency you try to squeeze every last drop of fun out of the few remaining days of summer vacation. The kids are smiling, you're ecstatic, life couldn't be much sweeter than this. You know you must enjoy it now because all too soon, you will start this cycle all over again. Winter is coming.