It’s summer break.
The season of sunscreen, sidewalk chalk, and spontaneous existential crises over how many snacks is too many snacks. I’m a mom of three (ages 9, 6, and 4), a school psychologist by profession, and a self-proclaimed “ringleader of the Greene Circus” from about June 1st through mid-August.
And y’all… I’m two days back from a family camping trip and already teetering between “let’s make a magical summer memory every day” and “please don’t talk to me before 9 a.m.”
The ADHD Energy Hits Different in July
I have ADHD. So when I say my summer brain goes from 0 to “We should repaint the bathroom and plan a themed dinner night for every country in the EU” by 7:03 a.m., I mean it. My internal motor kicks on early—I’m talking birds-chirping, brain-whirling, coffee-poured-by-6:30 early.
My husband and kids? They like to sleep in. Like, slow-mo get up, grumble for cereal, and stay in pajamas until the sun hits high noon kind of sleep in. So, while I’m two ideas deep into a spontaneous scavenger hunt or a kitchen reorganization project, they’re just trying to function.
This disconnect? It’s where the summer magic and meltdowns collide.
When the Kids Start Fighting, and It’s Not Even 10 a.m.
Right now, our biggest struggle is sibling non-stop chaos disguised as bonding.
My 9-year-old wants quiet and space. He’s in that in-between zone—too old for constant noise, too young for full independence. He rolls his eyes when the 6-year-old blurts out yet another off-topic question about possums or why farts are funny (we limit him to 5 “blurt outs” a day for everyone’s sanity, including his own).
Meanwhile, Lucy—my 4-year-old, lovingly nicknamed Lucyfer on her more feral days—is in her clingy, full-body-contact affection stage… but only with me. She climbs me like a spider monkey, kisses my cheeks mid-meltdown, and absolutely refuses to let anyone else show her affection. She also enjoys full-blown wrestling matches with her brothers when the mood strikes.
And they are always hungry. But never at the same time. I swear I make 19 mini meals a day. As a Psychologist, I catch myself analyzing this—should I have taught them better food regulation? Do they need more structure? Do I need more sleep? Probably yes to all of the above.
Trying to Find the Summer Zen (With Help From Netflix)
This summer, I made a promise to myself: Write a blog post every day.
Not to go viral. Not to prove anything. But to give myself one small, creative outlet that doesn’t involve refereeing a slap-fight over who stole the last Gogurt. Writing helps me slow down, reflect, and not get carried away planning 47 outings in one week that will inevitably exhaust everyone and lead to a Target tantrum.
We’re still figuring out our groove. Some days are adventurous. Some are full of Disney+, Netflix, and Hulu babysitting. Is that perfect? Probably not. But after camping with three kids over the 4th of July and keeping them (mostly) alive without Wi-Fi, I’d say we’ve earned some screen time grace.
I will add this little pic as proof of pretend play with my daughter. She has been making me chipotle meals 24/7 with her new toy that I impulsively bought on an outing to the toy store. Now my ADHD brain has insisted on buying all the pretend play kits I can find, while also balancing following a family budget. The two don’t exactly go together, definately in a battle with myself on this one. Look how cute it is!
So What’s the Takeaway?
I don’t have a perfect summer routine. I don’t have the answers on how to stop the fights or make the snacks appear less frequently. But I do know this:
- It’s okay to feel like you’re doing too much and not enough.
- It’s okay to let the kids be bored (even if your ADHD brain panics about it).
- It’s okay to have a little help from streaming services and granola bars.
We’re all just trying to find that middle ground—where the days aren’t too packed or too empty, the kids aren’t too overstimulated or too bored, and we moms don’t lose ourselves in the middle of the mess.
So here’s to finding that summer sweet spot. Or at least documenting the chaos one blog post at a time.
If you’re a fellow mom surviving summer with kids, ADHD, and a strong coffee habit, I see you. Drop your snack count in the comments below and let me know how you’re staying (mostly) sane this season. 💛
