Summer Holiday Struggles: Why Six Weeks Feels Like Six Months
Ok. It's started!
You roll over, dried drool crusting on your lips. After fumbling for your phone, you jump. It's 9:47 AM. You're late for school … again. Then it hits you. It's the summer holidays. The momentary rush of relief is soon swept aside by the sobering parenting reality check. You’re only on Day Three of the holidays. You pull on yesterday's clothes, ignoring the large yoghurt stain on the sleeve, and bravely leave your room. Before you've even made it to the coffee machine, you've been asked what's for lunch three times, and had to tell the kids to get out of the freezer because it's too early for ice cream.
Sound familiar?
Welcome to the summer holiday reality check nobody warned you about.
The Great Summer Holiday Con
Do you remember back before you had children and thought parents were mad for dreading school holidays?
Yeah, me too.
I always imagined that summer holidays with kids would be a magical time.
The kids happily playing in the garden; splashing in the pool, or kicking around a football while I sip coffee and maybe read a book, all of us just enjoying the calm and break from the normal hustle and bustle.
I envisioned picnics and nature walks, and just a procession of opportunities for creating beautiful memories.
Fuck me, was I wrong!
Day one starts with excitement. Everyone's buzzing about lie-ins and fun activities. By day two, the novelty has worn off, and by day three, you're in a yoghurt-stained shirt, googling 'free days our near me' and wondering if it's too late to cancel your leave and go back to work.
The reality of a six-week summer holiday is running a marathon while juggling flaming torches.
… In flip-flops ...
… During a heatwave.
Why Summer Holidays Are Actually Harder Than Term Time
Let's talk about structure. During term time, most days are dominated by routine. The kids know what to expect, and so do you. There are clear boundaries, a distinct separation of expectations. The morning rush, followed by someone else taking charge for six hours, doing most of the heavy lifting, leaving the rest of the day clear for winding down, a bit of play, food and bed. It’s not easy, but there is a flow, and it works.
Summer holidays with kids? All bets are off.
Suddenly, you're expected to be a teacher, entertainer, referee, chef, and taxi driver all rolled into one. Now, we all know this going in, and can’t expect other people to raise our children. We’re stressed and under caffeinated, we’re not heartless assholes.
BUT, the pressure summer puts on us parents is immense and you’re allowed to feel overwhelmed by it all.
Within days, your house becomes a prison. Everyone's in each other's space constantly. The living room looks like a bomb went off. You find yourself hiding in the bathroom just for five minutes of peace, only to hear banging on the door and someone shouting about a "toilet emergency."
Social media doesn't help either. I’d happily ban social media during the holidays, because all it does is add to the pressure, and makes many parents feel likt absolute shit.
Every posts seems to be a parade of pictures of peoplehaving the time of their lives at theme parks and beaches while you're trying to stop a toddler from eating sand.
But here’s the thing. It’s all going to be ok. The kids are not in school, and are happy about that. Stop fretting.
Take a seat, pour that coffee we spoke about earlier, and sit down for a few minutes.
It's Normal to Not Love Every Minute
Here's a quick parenting reality check for you, one that is especially relatable during the summer holiday struggles. It's completely normal to not enjoy every second of the summer holidays with kids. You're not a terrible parent if you're counting down the days until September. It just means you're human.
The guilt is real though. You love your kids madly, but that doesn't mean you have to love being with them 24/7 for six weeks straight.
Even the best relationships need breathing space.
Some days will be brilliant. Others will make you question every life choice you've ever made.
Both are normal, and one of the best summer holiday survival tips is to embrace both feelings. Allow the holidays to happen.
Practical Tips for Surviving the Summer
The summer holidays can feel like this insurmountable mountain. If you’re low on money, or have a big family and resent paying £30 each just to walk into a place, or simply have children of different ages, with vastle different interests, then the following summer survival tips are for you.
Lower your expectations: Forget Pinterest-perfect summer memories. Aim for everyone staying alive and relatively clean. If you can do that as a baseline, then you’ve won.
Plan one thing per day: You don’t need til fill ever waking moment of every single day. Plan no more than one thing for any given day, not ten. It could even be a twenty minute walk somewhere or a trip to the local playuground, or indoor activities like baking cookies, or watching a movie. Don't over-schedule. You'll burn out faster than a cheap sparkler.
Accept that screens will save your sanity: Yes, educational activities are great. But sometimes, plonking the kids in front of the telly and giving them the remote while you have a cup of tea is exactly what everyone needs.
Create quiet time every day: Even if your kids have outgrown naps, enforce an hour of calm. They can read, draw, or just lie on their beds. You get a break, they get downtime. Everyone wins.
Get outside early: Before 10 AM if possible. The parks are quieter, the sun isn't trying to murder you, and you'll feel accomplished before most people have had breakfast. It also establishes the fact that you have done something that day, while everybody’s focus and energy levels are at their peak.
Lower your housework standards: The house will be messier during holidays. Accept it. Focus on the essentials and ignore the rest.
The Secret Nobody Talks About
The real secret about the summer holidays struggles is that almost every parent is battling the same problem and frequently, in the same way. We just don't really talk about it for fear of being judged.
The mum who looks perfectly put together at the park? She's probably running on fumes, too. The dad is organising elaborate activities? He's probably exhausted. Both are likely taking time off work, knowing they'll have to work three times as hard to catch up once it's done.
We're all just winging it and hoping for the best.
The perfect summer holiday is a myth. Or rather, the ideal summer holiday, as we have been to idealise, is a myth. Real summer holidays with kids involve tears, arguments, sticky surfaces, and wondering why you ever thought having children was a good idea. They also involve unexpected moments of joy, random cuddles, and memories that will make you smile years later.
And you know what….
That is perfect!
Your Survival Strategy
Remember, the summer holidays are a marathon, not a sprint. Pace yourself. You don't need to be "on" every single day. Just remember that some days, a bag of crisps and a biscuit really is a suitable breakfast. Some days, staying in pyjamas until noon or even all day is perfectly acceptable.
Be kind to yourself
Pick your battles. Is it worth arguing about screen time limits when you're all going stir-crazy? Probably not. Save your energy for the important stuff.
You're doing better than you think at this parenting malarky. The fact that you're worried about whether you're doing enough proves it!
Well done, you!
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
September will come.
The kids will go back to school.
You'll have that first morning to yourself and probably spend it cleaning up the chaos of the summer holiday struggles. But trust me when I say this, you'll also feel a tiny bit sad that it's all over.
Because, despite the madness, mess, and moments of despair, there's something incredibly special about having unstructured time with your kids. Even if it doesn't feel like it when you're living through it.
Until then, keep the coffee strong, the expectations low, and remember that summer survival is the goal. Everything else is a bonus, so put your phone down, flush the toilet and get out there to enjoy the beautiful chaos that is the summer holiday.
You've got this. Even when it doesn't feel like it.
