Beginning-of-summer mom vs end-of-summer mom

As the beginning of the school year shines like a beacon of hope for so many moms, we wonder: what happened to that beginning-of-summer mom? You know, the one who had all those aspirations and plans?

Beginning-of-summer mom had a chore chart, maybe even an allowance system. She was ready to organize closets and make sure everyone had 1-hour of reading time each day. Beginning-of-summer mom bought all kinds of new art supplies and fresh play dough. She was going to make sure everyone was enriched this summer!

Beginning-of-summer mom planned trips: to the beach, to the pool, to the museum. Beginning-of-summer mom was going to make memories and get things done! She was going to do it all. She would be efficient and fun!

But beginning-of-summer mom is starting to deflate like that pool raft that the kids left out back to melt in the sun. Now that summer is almost over, end-of-summer mom has taken over.

End-of-summer mom feels, well, a little…differently. End-of-summer mom made cereal for dinner last night. And she may have let the kids watch two hours straight of funny cat videos on YouTube before “dinner.”

End-of-summer mom is done with the pool, the sunscreen, and the piles of wet towels. End-of-summer mom hands her kids the water hose and says “stay outside until I call you in.” Then she gives them freezer pops with red dye in them because it means they will stay outside for five more minutes, and she just needs to hear the sound of silence, okay?

End-of-summer mom sighs as she finds dried play dough on the floor again. While she cleans it up, her kids ask for their 26th snack of the day, and it is only 9 a.m. End-of-summer mom hands them a bag of Doritos because she’s too exhausted to have a fight about eating a piece of fruit.

End-of-summer mom thinks for a moment that she really should take these kids to the park, but then she remembers that it is so hot that a crayon melted into her minivan’s front seat yesterday (which she still hasn’t had a chance to clean up).

The kids are bickering in the background while end-of-summer mom daydreams about that glorious morning, not too far away, when they put on backpacks and leave for school. She’ll drink her morning coffee in silence. Hold on to that dream, end-of-summer mom, you’ll be there soon.