Summertime …
And the Livin’s Not Always Easy for Moms

The stereotype: summer means wonderful family time, with picnics in the park and lazy hours spent at the pool or beach. Everyone breathing a sigh of relief that school is finally out. The reality: Not every mother finds “the lazy, crazy days of summer” easy. One mother may welcome summer, and another may dread it. A mother’s reaction depends largely on her personality type.

Whether summer is an easy or difficult time for a mom depends a lot on whether she prefers order vs. spontaneity, people interaction vs. solitude. If a mother knows where she stands in these two areas especially, she can understand what her struggles are likely to be and how she can arrange her summer so that it’s enjoyable to her as well as her children.

Early on I discovered that I was a better school-year mom, getting children out the door on time in the morning, overseeing homework, driving to extracurricular schedules, and keeping set bedtimes. I was less well suited as a summer mom – hanging out, being flexible, having my children and their friends around the house more.

If a mother enjoys “going with the flow,” summer’s relaxed pace is likely to rejuvenate her. She may love hanging out at the park one day and the family staying in their pajamas all day the next. However, if she prefers order, structure, a “to do” list, she might struggle. She’ll benefit from planning things for herself and for the children that will give some structure to the day or week – Wednesday field trips, daily siesta time or no TV until after 4 p.m.

Likewise, her children will either prefer structure or spontaneity, so if a mom can figure out her child’s preferences she can find a better balance for them as well. Some kids are lost without day camp schedules and others need the freedom of summer to do as they please when they please.

Mothers who thrive on lots of people contact may enjoy having the company of children around. Other moms need some solitude in order to recharge their batteries. For them, getting a babysitter or finding activities their children can be occupied with away from them on a regular basis is not a luxury, but a necessity.

As an Introverted mother, I learned that every Fall I needed to give myself a vacation from summer vacation. Instead of diving right into a new project at work, I blocked off September as a month of renewal, giving myself more time alone.

From listening to many mothers, I find that Extraverted-Perceiving mothers tend to think summer vacation is too short, and Introverted-Judging mothers typically think it’s too long.

Knowing your personality type can help you identify your needs, as well as your child’s, and find solutions to lessen your summer stresses. And that can mean more fun this summer for everybody!

Take our quick quiz to guess your mothering style.