End of term burnout

As you drop your little darlings off to school this week for their final days of term, do you kiss them fondly and wave goodbye or rather you sprint away from the gate?!

Now I’m not a cold hearted person who can’t stand spending time with my children, or who uses school as some form of babysitter. 

However, as a Mum of three young children the pressure is on and life can be chaotic and stressful - scrap that life IS chaotic and stressful! 

The majority of the time, when we’re together, me and my little munchkins we have fun, we get along, they’re good children overall.

Now, unless you’re raising the non-existent perfect person, everyone will experience bad behaviour at times and find themselves at a loss as to why it’s so hard to follow basic instructions.

I myself often wonder if I’ve developed a new language to speak in or if the kids have suddenly lost the use of their ears, so regular the occasions when nobody seems to have heard anything I’ve said. Well that is unless I’m trying to talk to somebody else and they’re not involved or meant to be listening! Oh no then they’re like these little creatures whose super power hearing could make out a speck of dust falling to the floor. 

But something happens to our children at this time, as we approach yet another break from school. End of term looms and our offspring go loopy.

I’ve lost count the amount of times the last week or two I’ve spoken to fellow parents about numerous meltdowns or odd behaviour. Or have you noticed just how many bugs seem to be going round, how your child suddenly starts throwing up from nowhere?

End of term burnout. 

When I was working in London I used to push myself daily to reach targets/complete my to do list and I’d be tired but seem to function off the stress and adrenaline. Then the minute I’d book any form of longer annual leave and I’d end up in bed with a stinking cold or bug. 

For children it seems much the same. Where Mums, Dads and carers may be looking for a break from the school run routine and alarm clock setting, children too want some downtime.

This week for instance my three have seemed extra hyped up after school and are taking longer to settle at bedtime and their listening skills are even more atrocious than usual. 

Regardless of whatever after school activity they’ve been participating in they still come home shrieking and jumping like they’re on some sort of drug and as if they’ve had a Power Nap. 

Other people I know their children have been feeling really poorly.

I know others whose children every end of term seem to completely change personality and get naughty, misbehave and simply transform. 

So why are children getting this end of term burnout, much like the after school meltdowns you witness.

How comes these burnouts happen? Did we have them as children?

Is it just where all day every weekday they adhere to rules, sit still for long periods and have to follow lots of procedures? 

Do their little bodies simply say enough now we’re tired?

Or is this a sign children are being put under too much pressure nowadays? Are we all expecting too much so their personalities and bodies alike revolt? 

I know expectations and pressure have been a topic of conversation amongst our school Mums quite a bit. 

Are we putting too much on children too young. Or is this simply preparing them for real life? It’s not easy!

If you have any tips or discover any secrets to ease the burnout please do comment.

Until then I guess we’ll make it to the end of term, picking our children up Friday afternoon with a smile glued to our face. 

Relieved to not be setting that school run alarm. Happy to have no morning battles to get dressed and eat breakfast. No morning quizzing of what’s for school dinners or arguing over packed lunch box contents. 

But also gearing up to face two weeks of constant snacking, overhyped kids from way too much Easter chocolate, constant hoovering of crumbs or the glitter from yet another craft time, exhausted from countless days out at farms, softplays, parks, fairgrounds and more. 

Is that the problem nowadays too? We seem to pack so much into school holidays that children and parents/carers alike don’t actually have much of a ‘break’ when school is off. 

How do we find a balance to stop both the kids and us burning out? 

Any tips comment below!