The Struggle is Real: Summer Staycation

Summer has finally arrived, and with that comes graduation parties, lounging by the pool, barbeques, and the most exciting of all, vacation!

While kids are wrapping up school, parents have already planned a week or two at their favorite vacation spot or are in the process. It is a very exciting time but can also be overwhelming. A lot goes into planning a trip, especially if your destination requires taking an airplane. Booking plane tickets and packing luggage is no easy task. Gone are the days when you could stuff your suitcase to the brim with anything your heart desired.

Now packing for a trip feels like a science experiment. The TSA has a slew of new rules that get increasingly intricate with every passing year. Packing toiletries has got to be the most tedious. Suppose you’re in the supermarket and notice that everything you need is already mini-sized. In that case, you’ve struck gold because if not, you’re looking at a chunk of time wasted on measuring liquids and funneling them into a small container DIY-style.

Packing a suitcase has also become a chore. According to the TSA, passengers must ensure that each piece of checked luggage doesn’t exceed the 50-pound weight limit. If this happens, you can be charged $100.00 or more in overweight baggage fees, depending on the airline. Carry-ons have a weight limit of 35 pounds which, if exceeded, can also foster a charge, depending on the airline. However, once you’re in the air and on your way to paradise, the $100.00 overage fee you paid has already become a distant memory.

Traveling has its challenges, but the rewards weigh out the obstacles.

On the flip side, rewards are non-existent for parents who opt out of summer vacations. Instead of measuring shampoo and body lotion, they’re spending the last few weeks of the school year hunting for summer camps with vacancies. As we all know, camp applications should be submitted right after Spring Break or earlier to ensure your kiddo has something to do this summer.

However, life gets in the way, and we are all so busy that unless we have a daily alert on our phone reminding us about summer camp sign-ups, we are not even thinking about it. The summer camp search frenzy monopolizes the last two weeks of June, and if you haven’t found an opening in any of the camps you’ve researched, you’re doomed.

Being a parent is not easy, and it takes patience. Some of us have two or more kids, which means that after-school activities, dentist appointments, and play dates are multiplied. There’s no way to keep it straight, no matter how organized we are. Things can change on a whim, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who checked their email to find a notification saying that camp sign-ups have closed. Those words are a parent’s worst nightmare.

Nevertheless, panic sets in that you’ve fallen victim to a summer staycation. Let me explain what a staycation is for those not quite down with the lingo.

A staycation is when you spend your summer at home with your family. It kicks off with you watching the school bus pull up in front of your house at 3:00 p.m. and realizing that this is the last drop-off until September. The following days aren’t so bad. You may not be as stressed because you don’t have to wake the kids and shuffle them out the door by a certain time.

Unfortunately, some parents work schedules don’t honor the dog days of summer, so they are still on the same routine, which is now more complicated because they have to arrange for childcare during daytime hours.

If one parent works from home, this won’t be an issue, but for those who do not have anyone to watch their kids, this can seriously change the game. Finding help over the summer isn’t easy because everyone is away on vacation and unavailable to help with your staycation needs. Not only can this cost you time and patience, but it will cost a pretty penny.

If you’re considering hiring a nanny, be prepared to put in some extra hours at work. The benefit of having a nanny (an expensive one at that) is immeasurable. They will follow your list of activities while you’re at work, so you don’t have to worry about your kids watching their tablets all day (thanks to the invention of the Ring camera, of course).

Most parents are on top of their game and have prepared a staycation itinerary. This may consist of a trip to the town pool (if you don’t have your own) or lake, bike riding, fishing, soccer, etc. You will have peace of mind knowing your little ones are enjoying the fresh air and getting exercise.

Although you’re sad you can’t be with them; you’re happy knowing they are safe and having fun. Now that it doesn’t get dark until around 8:30 p.m., there is still time to catch fireflies or roast marshmallows before putting the kids to bed. It may not be an afternoon filled with pool time and slushies, but it ends the day on a sweet note.

A parent who works outside the home has a staycation that differs tremendously from a parent who works from home. There has to be a strict schedule in place because even though you’re home, that doesn’t mean that your kids can run a muck and hang out in their bathing suits in the background of your Zoom meeting. You may need to take short breaks here and there to put a movie on or make lunch for your kiddos. A run through the sprinkler may keep them occupied and spend some time on the trampoline, swings, or playset.

Bonus points if your office window faces the backyard so you can keep a closer eye. The evenings are never wasted sitting in traffic jams, so you can enjoy playing catch or going out for ice cream. The best of both worlds is possible with the right schedule.

If you’re a teacher, you have summers off, leaving you with an open schedule to relax and take it easy with the kids – the same goes for homemakers. The whole day is available to you and your little ones. For example, on the first day of your staycation, you all slept in, ate breakfast on the deck, and even had coffee while the kids entertained themselves in the backyard. The next few days are filled with water parks, nature walks, bike and scooter riding, and Fro Yo. The kids are in good spirits, and you’re also going with the flow and enjoying the warm afternoons. You think, “This isn’t so bad, we are keeping busy, and the days aren’t dragging.” Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever, and before you know it, you find yourself longing for September.

It’s inevitable. The lazy sweet summer vibes eventually turn sour with boredom and irritability.

Relaxing family breakfasts on the deck have turned into a party of one – you being the only one out there, trying to enjoy your coffee in peace. Instead of birds chirping, you hear loud bangs and screaming inside the house. You ignore it for as long as possible until one of your kids appears outside, crying and yelling that their sibling hit them. You know right then and there that this staycation is for the birds (no pun intended). As the days blend together, you realize that your activity list still has at least ten items on it, but no one is interested.

The novelty has worn off, and your kids have returned to mornings consisting of Fortnite and Roblox marathons followed by afternoon naps on the couch. If you’re lucky, you can get them to change out of their pajamas and take a dip in the pool, but even that has lost its thunder. The words “I’m bored” are ingrained in your head as you attempt to check the list of activities yet again, which is now branded as “lame.”

As the days drag on, it gets more and more unbearable. The kids’ daily arguments have sent you into a spiral of anxiety. Your plans for beach days and baseball games are now replaced with dirty dishes in the sink and constantly moving the scooters away from the walkway so you can get to the mailbox.

Admittedly, your summer staycation didn’t turn out as planned, but you never gave up. One of the hardest things to accept as parents is that we can’t control everything. Sometimes you have to go with the flow and hope for the best.

There is a lesson to be learned in everything – and the lesson here is to be sure to take a vacation after your staycation!