Summer break is finally here, and it seems at this time every year, I find myself wishing I would have finished out that teaching degree. And I am seriously reconsidering going back to do so.  

Being home with the kids 24/7 during summer break AND having to work, is for the birds.  

The girls have spent the last several weeks counting down the days to summer and honestly, I was looking forward to not having to listen to that alarm clock going off every weekday, struggling with homework every evening and making two trips daily for pick-ups and drop-offs, but we are about two weeks in and I am also seriously considering finding them a year-round school to attend.

I am just kidding.  

But yes, it is hard to get work done. I am battling with them as we speak just to get this column out by deadline. I have said the words, “I love you, but get away from me,” a handful of times just today. And now I feel guilty. I wish I could wake up when they wake up and spend the days doing all the fun activities without a care in the world, but unfortunately, I do not have that luxury…yet! 

I came across an article the other day that said we only get 18 summers with our children… 18! I think the purpose of the article was to remind parents to soak in these fleeting moments, but all it did was make me feel even more guilty.  

It is a lot of pressure after all. It seems like we as parents or people in general are always adhering to the idea that we need to be doing more when in fact we are already spread too thin. At least, I know I am.  

Some of us moms are working multiple jobs and cannot just take time off to bring their kids to the pool or the recently single mom that cannot afford a vacation at all, or the depressed mom who can barely force herself out of bed let alone make a trip to the waterpark.  

I have been all the above. I must remind myself almost daily that my worth as a mother is not defined by how much money I spend on them, or how many fun activities we get to go do, or how we spend one season out of the year.  

What makes me a good mother is the 18 seconds I take to make sure they know how much I love them throughout the day, the 18 minutes I listen to them fill me in on what is going on in their lives, the 18 days I spent at the ballpark cheering them on and the 18 years I will spend making sure they feel secure, safe and heard while they are still under my roof.  

Let’s face it summer vacation is no vacation for mothers at home with kiddos but let’s also keep in mind that the older they get the less likely they are to look forward to spending the summer at home with their mother. So, I am going to try to make the most of it. That’s all I can do. 

Right now, it’s hella hard just keeping the pantry stocked, but one day at a time. We got this!

(Paige Gurgainers is a mother of three girls, digital journalist for Webster Parish Journal and publisher for Bienville and Claiborne Parish Journal)