Mania of May brings hectic end to school year | THE MOM STOP

There are memes and funny videos circulating on social media about how May is the new December, particularly for parents of school-aged kids.

It's no longer simply preparing an end-of-the-year gift for your kids’ teachers, making sure your children get their friends’ signatures in the yearbooks and bringing home their school supplies. It’s no longer just a time to make sure the summer vacation plans or summer child care are lined up.

For many parents, including me, May is like one long, drawn-out, chaotic race to the end of the school year. It’s equivalent of the two weeks before Christmas, but without the Christmas shopping, holiday parties or baking.

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Instead there’s Principal Appreciation Day, Teacher Appreciation Week, spring band concerts, project presentations, field days, field trips, retiree celebrations and honors days. And of course, there are graduations, ranging from preschool to high school.

Throw in spring sports like baseball into the mix and it takes a massive amount of brain power and a hyper level of scheduling to make sure that all events are attended, gifts are given, thank-you notes are written and children finish the school year.

But that doesn't mean it’s not worth it. It takes a draining amount of effort on the part of a lot of parents. We’ve likely used double the amount of gas we normally use in a month getting our three kids everywhere they’ve needed to go. We’ve had to contact grandparents early about major events, knowing that even they won’t likely be able to make it from out of town.

And this year, as we celebrate our son finishing elementary school, we’ll also attend the eighth-grade graduation for our first-born daughter. It’s a milestone year for our family, which makes it more hectic, but also bittersweet.

So how can parents make May easier? Use a calendar for scheduling, and consider an app that includes reminders so family members can easily be notified and added to events. When it comes to appreciation dates, I’ve decided against bending over backwards for Pinterest-worthy gifts that, while super-cute and maybe social media-worthy, aren’t the most practical or something the teachers already have. Instead, I opt for thank you notes written by me or, ideally, my kids themselves, and gift cards so the teachers can buy something they like or need.

My eighth-grader got involved in the process this year, and composed handwritten letters to her teachers thanking them. The notes were in her own words, on lined notebook paper in pencil, but it was the thought that counted, and the effort was entirely hers ― much better than anything I could have come up with.

I am thankful to have a spouse who can help share the transportation mania when it comes to getting three kids to multiple events in the last few weeks of the school year, especially when we have no family in town. But if no spouse or family is able to help with transportation, consider hiring a babysitter to share the burden, ask a parent of one of your child’s friends if your kid can carpool. Or, if you need to, ask a friend for help.

When it comes to this super-busy time of year, it’s hectic and it’s stressful. But it doesn’t last forever, and ultimately it’s about celebrating our children, their educators, and the end of another successful school year.

So let’s close out May, and be thankful it’s almost June. Because that summer vacation is going to be very much needed.

Lydia Seabol Avant writes The Mom Stop for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at momstopcolumn@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Mania of May brings hectic end to school year | THE MOM STOP