Raising kids today seems like a lot of work to many parents . All over social media when the summer rolls around, you see parents constantly bombarding their children with activities , trips, and things to do.
It’s as though they have to micromanage all of their time.
Parents are always looking for new ways to keep their kids occupied, and always involved in the process. “Summer vacation” for parents is never quite a vacation anymore.
Instead, moms are always on top of their children, doing the most.
While summer today seems to be an intense time for parents, it wasn’t always like this.
It’s also difficult if your family has two parents who work full-time.
In those cases, summer means trying to arrange for two months of childcare… or camp.
One mom and comedian took to Facebook to share her observations on why summer has changed.
Crystal Lowery is a comedian and writer whose work has appeared in HuffPost and Popsugar .
In a Facebook post, she explained why things have gotten so hard for parents in the summer.
Breaking down why things have gotten so much harder, Crystal states that back in the day things were “simpler.”
She touched upon how moms weren’t as “on top of their kids” back then.
“Why is summer so hard for parents? Because things have changed. When we were kids, we’d just run around town from dawn until dusk, unattended.”
Moms weren’t always micromanaging.
“Instead of mom slathering us with suncreen, we burned, then peeled our damaged skin like molting snakes.
Instead of sensible snacks, we’d ride our bikes to 711 to purchase fists-full of Jolly Ranchers and Atomic Fire Balls.”
Parents weren’t in charge of “finding the fun.”
“Instead of parents entertaining us, we’d knock on our neighbor’s doors and invite them out to play. “
She thinks kids had more independence back then.
“The adults in our families were never exactly sure of our whereabouts–nor did they particularly care. It was all up to us. We made friends. We made good decisions. We made bad decisions. We made our own fun.”
Now, kids have changed.
“Reader, this is not a thing anymore.
Kids don’t randomly play with other kids in 2019. It’s too risky,” she said in her post.
Our children’s playtime is always supervised now.
“If your children want social time, it must be by way of organized sports, or expensive day camp, or a play date wherein all mommies attend and make awkward small talk so that they can keep an eye on things.”
And, parents are overly worried about their kids.
“And we have every reason to be overprotective.
Forget lions, and tigers, and bears (oh my!)
There are Amber alerts, and scary true crime documentaries, and who knows what that kid down the street is looking at on his computer!”
Of course, safety is important, but it can be hard on parents.
“We have to keep our kids safe. But with that hypervigilance comes isolation. With that hypervigilance comes the burdensome responsibility to keep your children company 24/7. And it’s EXHAUSTING.”
Crystal concluded with a simple, yet powerful statement.
“Parents of 2019, do you know why the summer is so hard? Because your kids are up your ass ALL THE TIME.
It didn’t used to be like this. So cut yourselves some slack. And maybe, consider day camp.
That is all.”
Since sharing this post, it has gone viral racking up hundreds of comments and over 7,000 shares.
A lot of the people who read Crystal’s post agreed with her. One Facebook user wrote, “We never would have dreamed to ask our parents to entertain us, either. If you complained of boredom, they found chores for you. The message was loud and clear- nobody is going to do it for you.”
Other Facebook users loved Crystal’s honesty.
One commenter said, “Soooo glad someone said how different growing up is and how raising kids is so different today without pointing fingers at parents or kids…”
Thinking about it, she makes a valid point.
When we watch older movies and TV shows, kids did run around with more freedom and independence than we give them today.
A lot of use grew up riding our bikes around the neighborhood and playing until the sun set.
Please tell me kids still do this!
And, while it’s a completely different world in 2019, parents can let the ropes go a bit.
Instead of micromanaging your kids, let them make their own fun. And, when all else fails —there’s always camp!
