This year has been a strange one and likely not one that any of us are going to forget anytime soon. With the worldwide health issue going on, people spent the majority of their spring at home– only leaving to grocery shop every other week and trying to juggle work and virtual homeschool. No babysitters. No asking grandparents to help out. Mounting anxiety over hoping their loved ones stay healthy.
Now that we're in summer, some of those restrictions have lifted. But the outbreak is far from over making summer 2020 one of the most challenging seasons in history. And parents aren't alone in the stress that everyone's under. And when times are tough, there's no better time to laugh. So enjoy these 20 super relatable tweets highlighting just how weird the summer of 2020 has been.
Nothing Is Done the Easy Way
We had plans this summer. We wanted to make good memories. Start filling our kids up with those good times to remember and reflect on when they have kids of their own. Instead, all we're left with is bickering and fighting and snacks, and it's frustratingly out of our control.
Over Summer Already
We love our kids — we really honestly do. But we also like space and a little break from them. We used to get that during the school year and just had to get through summer. But this year is different. This summer is different and we're counting the days for when they can get back into the classroom — safely, of course.
The Things We Took for Granted
A back-to-school sale sounds pretty darn awesome right about now. Because it would imply our kids are actually going back to school, and that we'll one day be getting our lives back. Sob, sob sob.
Exercise This Summer
Seriously, one water bottle (or cup) per person all day! How hard is that for kids — and partners — to understand? If picking up 20 gazillion cups around the house counts as cardio, we'd be totally beach body ready.
Long Weekends Forever
We complain about the summers and the weekends, but if we're totally honest, we love how relaxed and free they can feel, too. Sure, we never get to do exactly what we want, but if we had to choose to go back to work in the office and having to rush our kids out the door vs. the months of forever long weekends, many of us probably won't trade it if we had a choice.
Summer Is So Long
The two months that summer usually lasts feel long enough, but add in kids home for three months before that and halfway through the season, we're already so over it. This parent understands that and they're completely not alone. Also, with it not being guaranteed the kids will be headed back to school, it feels like there's no light at the end of this tunnel.
Working Has Been Strange
During a normal summer, parents are working and juggling taking their kids to summer camp or day care. This summer, we've got the kids home with us while we try to work from home. And spoiler alert: It's just as hard during the school year — if not more so, because now they really have nothing to do.
2020 Has Been a Doozy
We're sure all of us can agree that this summer has been a strange one — the whole year has been really weird, actually. We may wonder how much of this our kids will remember when they're older with the real knowledge that it's going to be a year we won't ever forget ourselves.
It's a Fight to Get Them to Hear Us
There's no question that kids and teens have selective hearing. They can hear the smallest things — like an ice cream truck four blocks over, but didn't hear us call them while in the same room. The ice cream truck is something we looked forward to as a child, but as an adult — we beg for them to forget the route and miss our neighborhood.
Snacks, Snacks & More Snacks
Half of our grocery trip is for snacks — because now that the kids are home 24/7, they never stop eating. We're not sure how kids survive the school year not eating every 10 minutes because that's all they want to do when they are at home. It drives us up the wall.
Take a Deep Breath
Ask any parent who has a child between the ages of 2 and 6 and they can recite the Daniel Tiger song to help an upset angry person calm down. We've been taking deep breaths and counting to four all summer and it doesn't seem like it's going to let up any time soon.
Summer Wish List
Asking the kids to put together a summer wish list of things they really hope for or want to do can be heartwarming. Kids' ideas are often adorable, but this summer highlights one big thing: They don't like stay-at-home life right now either.
Truth Bomb
Oh darn! That lavish tropical vacation we all didn't have planned is going to have to get canceled this year. Oh well, there's always next summer — or is it Summer 2022, tbh, we've all kind of started counting on anything these days.
Summer Screen Time
We know that the studies say that we shouldn't allow our kids to spend endless hours watching their screens. But at the same time, it's not realistic to think they won't ever watch anything — especially now. Trust us, it's a punishment for the parents to take away screen time this summer.
Carrots Are Vegetables
This summer our rules are a little more relaxed. It means more screen time, fewer vegetables, and later bedtimes. And we're creative with those rules to make our own bad decisions (like cake for breakfast) seem like great ideas. We're on the team that believes carrot cake is a suitable breakfast option.
Different But Same
Vacation is what summer is all about, right? We look forward to parenting in a different city with a new view. Yes, it'll be the same fights between the kids, but hey, it's a change of scenery. Well, that's how it goes for every other summer except for this one. Vacation now is a whole lot of the same — pretty much moving dinner from the table to eating outside, or, at best, taking a road trip to all stay inside together.
This Summer Is a Weird One
We had so many hopes for this summer. We had plans and ideas to make it fun. The worldwide health crisis stepped in though and instead of those amazing plans, we're left with more of the same things we've all been doing for the past few months. We'll do it obviously — safety is key. But weekend parenting isn't the same.
Lunch & Dinner?!
We know that kids need to eat. We understand the theory. But having them home during summer 2020 means we have to get creative with what we feed them because we are still trying to limit how often we go to the grocery store. And does it seem like anyone else's kids are asking for food every 20 minutes?
Quarantine Time Isn't Real Time
Why does time move so slowly when we're stuck at home? It's only eleventy million minutes until bedtime and we're already all played out. Time to bring out the snacks and screens, parents. No judgment, here!
