Parents Reveal The Time Of Year They Dread The Most, And It's Not The Holidays
This time of year is meant to be relaxing. When you're a parent, it's anything but.
fizkes | Shutterstock It’s official: Parents actually really don’t like their kids. Just kidding! But in all seriousness, there are certain times when parenting is just plain harder, and it has nothing to do with the kids themselves. It's universal. Did your mind immediately go to the holidays? While kids hyped up about presents are quite a handful, a recent survey found that there's another time of year that parents say is way worse.
A survey revealed that parents dread the end of the school year the most.
A Talker Research poll commissioned by Bob Evans asked 2,000 millennial parents of school-aged children in the U.S. how they feel about the approaching summer break, and while many of us are looking forward to sunny days spent at the beach and ice cream runs after dinner, for parents, this time of year is rough.
Twenty-nine percent of parents said that the end of the school year makes them feel exhausted, 28% said it makes them feel anxious, and 21% feel overwhelmed. They noted the root of their feelings stems from uncertainty about balancing their children’s summer schedule with their own, especially if they are a working parent. Childcare and summer camps often cost an arm and a leg, and many parents are left in a lurch because they have to work.
Other parents reported that they were stressed about having their kids constantly around the house (34%), not having enough time for themselves (33%), and not having enough time to cook dinner (15%). The period of stress begins about a month before the last day of the school year, and parents admitted that it takes them about a month after break begins for them to actually find their rhythm and relax into it.
That last month of school isn't for the faint of heart, and it's not because the kids are jumping out of their skin to be home. As 41% of parents pointed out, the end of the school year is busier than winter break. There are concerts and graduations and meetings and field trips and field days, you name it. A whopping 35% said they thought the end-of-year chaos was worse than the beginning of the school year!
Despite what it looks like, parents don’t dread summer break because it means they have to spend more time with their kids.
In fact, parents want to spend more time with their rugrats, but if both parents work, it's simply not possible. They're forced to make major adjustments to their routines, and the changes are extremely difficult to manage, even for the kids.
Kids thrive on structure, and the sudden changes aren't easy to cope with. “For young children, structure and routines help them gain self-confidence. Plus, families run more smoothly with a morning breakfast ritual, a getting-to-school routine, age-appropriate chores, shared family dinners, and regular bedtimes,” Seattle Children’s Hospital explained. They went on to say, “Research confirms that when children have strong routines at home, they have an easier time in school with both learning and friendships. Kids who feel grounded in their home life can better regulate their emotions and cope with transitions.”
For parents who can't afford childcare in the summer, kids are often shuffled around to different activities or among family and friends, and it becomes stressful.
The average cost of summer camp in the U.S. is between $73-$87 a day for day camp, and $150-$173 a day for sleep-away camp, according to the American Camp Association. That prices out a huge portion of the population, making a consistent routine near impossible in the summer. Both parents and kids end up suffering as a result.
Evgeny Atamenenko | Shutterstock
Parents, primarily those who work, don’t exactly have the flexibility to keep their kids occupied all summer. A Harmon Research survey found that 55% of working parents take fewer than five days off during the summer. Coordinating time off with their partners or finding suitable dates that align with work schedules and children’s activities can be nearly impossible.
The reality is that for many parents, summer “break” is anything but that. It shifts their jobs into high gear with less help and more expectations. It’s not that they don't enjoy spending summers with their kids; it’s that many of them are physically and emotionally unable to do so.
Megan Quinn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing. She covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on justice in the workplace, personal relationships, parenting debates, and the human experience.
