5 Reasons to be Glad Summer is Over

Your entire social media feed may be one long tribute to those sunny, blissful summer days, but some of us just aren’t here for that. Yes, summer was great—but guess what? Mama is exhausted! Even when the days are long, finding enough hours to work, play, and squeeze in some family trips is hard work. Oh, and there’s the fact that you’re fielding meltdowns 24/7—whether baby’s or your own. So me? As much as I really do love the summer and all it brings, I’m so looking forward to those crisp, cool autumn days. Here’s why:

We can try some activities that don’t involve the beach.

Here’s to hoping fall activities, like apple picking and hitting local hiking trails, are a little less stressful for mama. I love the beach, but not quite as much as I did pre-baby. For now, time on the beach entails listening to my son cry if he’s in his playpen away from the sand or diving after him as he shoves fistfulls of sand in his mouth. Reading a book or zenning out? That’s just not an option anymore.

We can finally escape the heat.

Once upon a time, I’d take a warm day over a cold one 100 percent of the time. Now, I’m looking forward to cooler days when the hair I don’t have time to straighten won’t frizz, my son won’t be swimming in a pool of sweat in his car seat, and we won’t have to struggle with sunscreen every morning.

We might actually stay home for more than four days at a time.

We’ve been so fortunate to take time off and visit family members or friends nearly every weekend this summer, but packing for an infant should be considered a full-time job. Every week is a mad dash to finish the laundry just in time to put it back in a suitcase. Plus, we’re falling sorely behind on household chores.

It’ll be dark when I put the baby to bed.

You know what’s definitely no fun? Finally getting your kid to bed, only to have him wake up screaming 30 minutes later. I’m all for long, lazy summer days, but mama needs her sleep. We’ll all be a little more rested once there’s no light shining through the circular window in my son’s room that can’t be covered.

I don’t have to feel guilty about working a full day.

You know the commercials that liken the first day of school to Christmas for parents? I’m not quite there yet—there’s a huge part of me that’s still soaking up every second of my son’s infancy and the wonder of it all. But there’s also a small part of me that is looking forward to cold days where I can leave him at daycare through the end of the day without feeling guilty about not taking him to the park to get fresh air instead.