My Top Five Mom Fails This Summer

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Did the RMS Titanic have a cruise director? I don’t know, but if they did, I think I know how they felt when that ship was going down. Something along the lines of, “But…I wanted to do fun things…!” I think about that as I reflect on being on the summer cruise director for my family, and my utter summer fails.

summer fails

I knew this would hard. You see, this was my first summer off with the kids. This past year, I went to work at a school as a teacher’s aide. I was excited and scared to be on the same schedule with them. I knew after spring break that I was really in for it. I knew it would bring us closer, but that it would also be a challenge. Here are my top FIVE summer fails:

1. Structure

I tried time blocking, but my kids staged a mutiny. So much for workbooks, reading time, and anything remotely productive.

2. Library Story Time

At six, are my kids too old for this? We turned peaceful and precious story time into a telethon for ADHD. I apologized as we back out of the room, and my kids ran to the children’s computers. The remainder of our time there was me trying to figure out the educational game my child stumbled upon. We never went back.

3. Jamba Juice

Apparently fruit smoothies are not an unacceptable form of refreshment on a hot, summer day for our family. I had a gift card, so I was trying to be fiscally responsible! Who doesn’t like Jamba?! Apparently my boys.

4. The Local Splash Pad

For some reason, my kids don’t enjoy doing this more than once. Every day, I’m somehow expected to come up with somewhere new and exciting. So, if I say “let’s go to the splash pad,” apparently it has to be a DIFFERENT one than last time.

5. McDonald’s Play Place

This place is my personal hell. One of my kids refused to climb down when it was time to go, and he remained up in the tube where I could not get to him. It was a spectacle as I tried to remain calm. Whoever said “don’t negotiate with terrorists” didn’t have kids. 

Perhaps the biggest of my summer fails was actually not cutting myself some slack. At least I tried! And at the end of the day, my kids are fed, dressed, and loved. I kept them alive! Which is more than I can say for any of the house plants.

Mamas, you are warriors. As I pass you in the aisles of Target for back-to-school shopping, I will tip my hat to you. We will look into each other’s sleep deprived eyes and know that this will all be worth it one day. I hope that on the first day of school, you get yourself a caramel macchiato, go home, AND REST.

What were your biggest summer fails? What were your biggest wins?

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Jenny
Textbook extrovert. If there’s a stage, Jenny wants to be on it; whether it’s singing in church, doing stand-up comedy or acting. She has recently joined a cult called LuLaRoe. Her husband, David, is deeply concerned. Jenny and David, a pastor, are recently celebrating eighteen years of marriage. After years of infertility, they became adoptive parents of two year old twin boys in 2014. They’ve never been happier or more exhausted. Every day is an adventure. Jenny blogs at thefivestages.wordpress.com and has a regular feature in Tualatin Life newspaper called Everyday Heroes to celebrate those serving our community. She and her husband started a clothing line based on their story and you can check it out at bottlecapbadge.com. There’s nothing we can’t do with a little bit of love and a whole lot of caffeine.