Navigating Summertime Stress for Single Parents

As summer break approaches

making sure children stay occupied and engaged can be exhausting, especially for single moms who already juggle a long list of responsibilities, including work and other commitments. While summer offers students a much-needed break, it brings unrealistic societal expectations, extra scheduling considerations, and increased expenses for parents. This can lead to overwhelming stress for single moms. The summer stress is real in raising children.

Mom2Mom is dedicated to easing the pressure on moms and bettering the physical, mental, and overall well-being of children through the Happy Healthy Children program (HHC). Ahead of our annual fundraising campaign for Happy Healthy Children, we’d like to share three tips for reducing summer stress:

1. Incorporate physical activity and wellness

Adding exercise into your family’s daily routine is an ingredient for a happy and healthy summer. While the time away from school is a perfect opportunity to hang out with friends and spend time with family, many children spend too much time indoors on their devices instead.

Increasing your leisure time is key in reducing summer stress. We recognize that it’s difficult to take breaks with children at home all day, every day. Some examples of quick wellness breaks for moms are sitting outside and simply absorbing the sun, stretching, following along with a workout video, or anything else you enjoy doing for exercise.

Tip: going out for family nature walks is a great way to unplug and spend time together outdoors.

2. Create a summer wish list 

This fun goal-setting activity encourages discussion and provokes children’s imagination. By including children in this collaborative planning process, you get to hear their ideas and learn more about their ever-changing interests.

As for any kind of goal, make sure your family's summer wish list includes attainable activities that are accessible and within budget (e.g., visiting the public library or recreation center, spending the afternoon at the Granville Island Water Park). The mental load of planning is heavy, so adjusting your expectations is key to preventing burnout. If applicable, hear out the varying suggestions from your children so that all of them contribute their ideas to the list. 

Tip: make time for self-care and find moments of relaxation whenever you can. You deserve it! Taking care of yourself both physically and mentally is good for you and your children.

3. Stay connected

If you have family members nearby, consider making plans with them. Everyone needs support, and asking for it should not be a bad thing. Use your support networks and ask yourself who you can connect with when you need help and what types of support the people in your community can lend you. If you ever need a break, reach out to the people you care about and take them up on their offers of childcare, playdates, and/or babysitting.

As a connected participant mom, there are many opportunities for community through Circle of Moms events, where families connect with other participants and volunteers while bonding over a fun activity, like in our recent wellness feast and microgreens workshop. Participant moms can also enjoy summer hangouts with their relationship volunteer(s).

Tip: ditch the cafe and take advantage of the few months of Vancouver sun by planning a relaxing stroll with a friend. 

Though the pressure to outperform the previous summer’s activities is real, summer activities don’t have to be super elaborate or Pinterest-worthy to be memorable and enjoyable for children. “Spending time with family doesn’t have to be fancy, it can be as simple as just hanging out.” (Medium article). 

Keep in mind that you are not alone in feeling stressed out and overwhelmed. It’s important to be kind to yourself and remember that you are doing your best even when things aren’t going to plan. 

Finally, while there is a lot of discourse surrounding parenting do’s and don'ts, remember that there is no one “right” way to spend the summer break with your children. As Maya Angelou said, “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive.” Let’s thrive together this summer! 

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Written by Gelila Zeudu

Sources: 

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/allisonrobinson/2023/07/10/parent-guilt-rears-its-ugly-head-in-the-summer-heres-how-leaders-can-help/  

• https://www.careforthefamily.org.uk/parenting/six-ways-for-single-parents-to-enjoy-summer-on-a-budget/ 

• https://www.psychedmommy.com/blog/losing-cool 

• https://medium.com/@drweinschneider/value-your-time-with-your-kids-like-you-wont-get-a-second-chance-because-you-won-t-with-ben-2aa493d4cb02  

• https://raisingchildren.net.au/grown-ups/family-diversity/parenting-after-separation-divorce/single-parenting#:~:text=Quality%20time%20with%20your%20child,tell%20funny%20stories%20at%20bedtime.&text=You%20can%20do%20this%20in%20many%20ways.