Jun 15, 2026 · 30 min · 15 segments
Summer is supposed to feel fun, relaxing, and full of family memories. But for many couples, it can also bring more stress, more mental load, and more opportunities for conflict. Between changing…
Lindsay CavanaghHost
So you may have heard the term floating around about May-cember, but to say the month of May, and I'm gonna say really the beginning of June, are full is an understatement, right? It's really that, like, end of school year time.
And honestly, looking back on it, I don't know if I survived it or if I just sprinted through it fueled by coffee and pure delusion, which is saying a lot because I don't even usually drink coffee.
But man, those last few weeks in May, and again, we also had a birthday and a birthday party, and we did, like, all the things.
So each girl had a separate dance recital, despite the fact that they were at the same studio.
There was an end of year school performance, a craft day at my youngest daughter's school.
We had that unexpected broken arm, which led to canceling tumbling classes and arranging how to get those sessions redone somewhere else and ensuring that we have all the care that we need for summer.
And so partly one of the reasons why summer feels so challenging is that this is your starting point.
Like, many parents go into this time already feeling a bit overwhelmed and stressed out.
And when I say go into this time, I really mean, like, the transition, because the reality is switching to summer break is a major transition.
And transitions tend to come with discomfort, both physical and emotional discomfort.
There are pains as you ease into a new routine and a new schedule or lack of schedule, which I'll talk about in a bit.
And you feel it and your kids feel it, and so everyone is experiencing this discomfort likely in different ways, and they need different things as a result.
Another reason why the summer months can feel challenging to your marriage is the mental load doesn't decrease during this time.
You have to now manage, at least kind of doing what I'm managing right now, like summer camps or childcare coverage potentially.
We usually take more vacations during this time, which comes with its own mental load.
We personally are doing two trips, so we have this beach trip to North Carolina, and then we're gonna head to New York in August to see my brother.
There are family visits potentially, right? Mine is coming at the end of June, my parents.
So you may have heard the term floating around about May-cember, but to say the month of May, and I'm gonna say really the beginning of June, are full is an understatement, right? It's really that, like, end of school year time.
And honestly, looking back on it, I don't know if I survived it or if I just sprinted through it fueled by coffee and pure delusion, which is saying a lot because I don't even usually drink coffee.
But man, those last few weeks in May, and again, we also had a birthday and a birthday party, and we did, like, all the things.
So each girl had a separate dance recital, despite the fact that they were at the same studio.
There was an end of year school performance, a craft day at my youngest daughter's school.
We had that unexpected broken arm, which led to canceling tumbling classes and arranging how to get those sessions redone somewhere else and ensuring that we have all the care that we need for summer.
And so partly one of the reasons why summer feels so challenging is that this is your starting point.
Like, many parents go into this time already feeling a bit overwhelmed and stressed out.
And when I say go into this time, I really mean, like, the transition, because the reality is switching to summer break is a major transition.
And transitions tend to come with discomfort, both physical and emotional discomfort.
There are pains as you ease into a new routine and a new schedule or lack of schedule, which I'll talk about in a bit.
And you feel it and your kids feel it, and so everyone is experiencing this discomfort likely in different ways, and they need different things as a result.
Another reason why the summer months can feel challenging to your marriage is the mental load doesn't decrease during this time.
You have to now manage, at least kind of doing what I'm managing right now, like summer camps or childcare coverage potentially.
We usually take more vacations during this time, which comes with its own mental load.
We personally are doing two trips, so we have this beach trip to North Carolina, and then we're gonna head to New York in August to see my brother.
There are family visits potentially, right? Mine is coming at the end of June, my parents.
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