Summer Panic, Summer Guilt

Last month I started to panic. Summer was just around the corner. What to do with my children?

So starts the countless hours of researching fun, educational and cost-effective summer activities and coordinating schedules with my mom, who agrees to watch them a few weeks to give them a break from the above mentioned programs (thank you!).

After the 11-week schedule has been finalized, registration fees paid, and drop off and pick up times noted, the panic slowly dwindles…but it is replaced by something else.

Guilt…because in a mere three weeks it will be summer.

Lazy hazy days of summer.

Sleep in as late as you want summer.

Spend all day at the pool summer.

Do whatever you want summer.

But wait…there are no lazy days. We can’t spend all day at the pool.

I work, so my children have to attend child care. We still have to get up and get going in the morning…so much for sleeping in.

But here’s the deal: I like working. I like my job. The people are great, the hours are flexible and the office is just around the corner. I was a stay-at-home mom for four years and am fortunate I was able to do that, but as the boys got older, I was ready for something else.

So why do I feel guilty? Surely I’m not alone. More than half of moms work, and aside from teachers, I’m not sure of any other jobs that have summers off…which means my children are in good company.

Do other moms feel this guilt? Do any dads? Is this guilt leftover from the Mad Men era, where the majority of women were homemakers? Has society made us  feel this way? How do I (we) stop feeling guilty?