6/1/26:  Why Working Moms Feel Guilty During Summer Break — And Why They Shouldn’t

“You should be home raising your kids.” 

Even though nearly ¾  of mothers with children under 18 are part of the workforce, there is still an expectation that summer caregiving should primarily fall to women.

Times have changed, but opinions have not.  There is still this lingering belief that it falls to a woman to ensure that children are cared for and this idea isn’t more prevalent than in the summer months. 

This long standing “norm” has led to a 11% reduction in total hours worked by women in the summer months and 3.3% decline in wages. (UCLA Anderson Review)

Imagine being a career mom who suddenly has to endure the pressure to make summer an adventure for their kids – pools, parks, and playdates. 

Heaven forbid you allow lulls or give yourself a chance to work by giving the kids screens, shipping them off to childcare or HORROR…day/summer camps 😱

No, dear woman, we would like you to be a flawless mother, AND continue to carry a full workload and balance it flawlessly, without complaint.

Seriously, are you buying this bullshit?! 

Let’s talk about the sacrifices women make for their children and families – no data as to whether that is what they want or what is thrust upon them. 

87% of parents (not just moms) report that summer breaks offer challenges such as work interruptions or scheduling complications. Obviously, with an increase in the age of children, the burden becomes less. (Las Vegas Sun)

Speaking as a mom of a 10 and 14 year old, I would say the challenges become different.  This is the first year I will be chauffeuring a child to a job.  There are also playdates that are more about going places like movie theatres, restaurants, and jump parks.  Not to mention, they are at that fun age where they make plans without talking to the person with the car and money, so you never know what each day will bring.  

Like myself, 16% of working moms now work from home.  Again, it is unknown if that is out of necessity or desire.  There is evidence that women are leaving the workforce entirely at a higher rate than they were during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Their reason?  Exhaustion from the expectations and demands of balancing a home life and a profession.  (Coworking Cafe)

Here is the deal – these may be professions women were looking for a way out of. But how many of these women are leaving professions they LOVE because they are EXPECTED to “do it all”? 

It is 2026, so why, if there is work to be done, is the expectation that mom will handle it?

Don’t get me wrong, I love being a mom.  It is my favorite job in the whole wide world.  I will also say, I enjoy being the caretaker for my family (to an extent..I want independent people that need me).  On the other side of that coin, I don’t ever want to be “just wife/mom”.  I love having something that is for me, makes me feel like I contribute, both to society and financially to our family.

Every woman may not feel the same as me.  They may fully embrace mother and wifehood as their full-time job.  

Being a mom is just one of your identities, don’t lose the others.  You can be a mom, wife, professional, volunteer, community member, self, the list goes on.

Regardless of your identity, don’t let guilt and pressure consume you, forcing you into an identity you aren’t sure you want.

If you are a working mom who wants to keep being a working mom, let go of the guilt of finding childcare, asking friends and relatives to help, or maybe GASP seeing if both parents can edit their schedules to support summer life.

If you are a mom who works and you want to give that time to your family when they demand it the most, shake off the feelings of fear and guilt that comes with going to a supervisor and saying “I need something different for this season of life.”

And, if you are one of those blessed who have found a way to do what you love from home so you can be present for your family, never feel bad for creating boundaries between work and life. 

I dare you to chase everything you dream of, but keep it balanced. 

Remember, balance does not mean equal.

Balance is knowing your priorities for this season of life, giving each of them the appropriate amount of time, and building healthy boundaries to protect those priorities. 

Balance does not mean you have to do one thing or the other at 100% depending on the time of year…unless that is your definition of it.

Think about this –

If you could paint the perfect summer, what would it look like?

Would you give yourself more time at home?

Would you lean into a support system and keep all things as they are the rest of the year?

Imagine that summer, then create that summer!

If you aren’t sure how to do that, let me help!  You can go the “do it yourself” method and check out my FREE Weekly Reset Checklist or we can do it together during a FREE 30-minute discovery call, that you can book HERE.

Practical Way We Have Navigated Summers –  I have done summers with my kids while working full-time, part-time, no time, and self employed, so they’ve always looked a little different, but here are a few of my favorite hacks to do both to some degree.

1.  While I work from home, I still set “work” time, but it isn’t necessarily the same time every day.  I’m just sure to schedule it and communicate to my family that I am working.  I keep my work time my work time and my family time my family time.  I try very hard not to cross them because you can quickly get sucked into something you hadn’t planned on.

2.  My kids are a little older, but when they were younger and demanded more of my time, I would set a timer and say “I need to work until this time goes off, but when it goes off I’ll close this and I’m all yours.”  That gave them something tangible to hold onto AND it held me accountable.  I would also tell them if they interrupted me, that time got added back onto the clock.

3.  If you need or want to work full-time, take time to enjoy summer fun from time to time.  One of my biggest regrets when I was working full-time was that my kids would go on adventures with the moms that watched them – park, zoo, pool, and I was envious.  I wish I had said “I’m taking the afternoon off to go with my kids to _____” more often.  You will rarely regret the things you did but often regret the things you didn’t do.

4.  This is a reflection I’ve had as my girls get older – I wish I shared with them better what I do.  If I did, maybe they would understand my commitment better.  Unless you are a government agent or secret spy, let your kids in on what you do, why you do it, and if it recharges you, why does it recharge you.  One of my roles with the health center allowed me to work with the community and volunteer a lot.  I started taking my kids to a soup kitchen and they loved it.  I was able to say, “this is why I love what I do, I help people who need help the most.”  That is powerful and your kids will see/hear/feel that.

There were many sources for the facts and figures in this blog, but I loved this article published by Forbes.  If after you’re done reading you want to read some more, go check this out. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/maiahoskin/2026/05/08/summer-break-isnt-a-break-for-moms-its-a-second-full-time-job/