Originally posted as “Getting over the Blues” in August, 2014
Updated May, 2026
It was one of those afternoons. Now we were in the car on a special errand. “Why are we going to Petsmart, Mom?” asked Kid 1 with slight concern. “To buy a bathtub,” I proclaimed. Within minutes we picked out and purchased a small, hard plastic wading pool that had stuck in my mind since I spotted it the previous summer. This summer was going to be different. It was the end of May, 2014. I had plans, I had hope, and a whole season to prove it!
I am a desert rat – an Arizona native and proud to stick around. Even when I was pregnant the first time, I could tough out triple-digit summers by planning my work and errands around the weather. By the time I was pregnant with Kid 2, though, trying to keep up with Kid 1 and my paid administrative assistant job zapped even more energy from me than the summer sun. The following summer – home with a preschooler and an infant – we scraped through with indoor activities to escape the heat but were sadly lacking in fresh air. I had the summer blues.
With a lot of work and some natural growth, the summer of 2014 has been a turning point for me. It definitely helps that infants grow into entertaining toddlers, and big brothers grow more capable every day. What else changed?
We got outside more. My favorite way we did this was making “outside bath” routine. Our house is comfortable enough, but the bathrooms are tiny. Outside has glorious space. Water play seems obvious to entertain kids in a hot place, but not to this conservationist. The kids needed baths anyway. The first night we tried it, after returning home with our Petsmart dog pool, my heart soared. The kids were dancing with excitement while I gathered shampoo and towels. They raced to bring out toy boats. Kid 1 actually went potty first without argument. Splashing and laughter ensued. Better yet, outside baths came to the afternoon rescue several times a week all summer long.
The other big way we succeeded at outdoor living was by chopping up our morning routine. I made a point of doing non-water play, walks, and the yard work I craved (really!) “before 8:00 or after 5:00”. That usually usually meant brushing teeth and changing from PJs to clothes after coming back inside, instead of those basics holding us back from the outside time we also needed. After 8:00 a.m., I didn’t feel as trapped taking air conditioned shelter during the day as I had the summer before. For this shift, I also give a lot of credit to Kid 2 nursing less and Kid 1 being able to get his own cereal first thing in the morning.
I turned my stress down a notch. After working at home throughout pregnancy and early parenthood, this January became the time to quit my paid job. This summer, I got to redirect my energy into planning satisfying activities for the kids – or sometimes NOT having to plan, and giving my kids a little more eye contact. This summer, I got a little more exercise, a little more sleep, and a few more smiles for and from my kids. I also got some help. Being a mom brings PLENTY of stress, no matter the season. Last fall our family reached out for some behavioral help for Kid 1, and this summer I got my own counseling. Kid 1 helped by finally making progress in potty training. Kid 2 kindly stopped biting me. I hired a babysitter to come 2 hours a week, too. With those 2 hours I sometimes organized, sometimes Facebooked, sometimes grocery shopped. Uninterrupted. Boy, did I covet those 2 hours!
I allowed more fun. The playing with trains or wrestling on the floor variety my kids prefer often isn’t fun for me. I did have fun making a calendar on which Kid 1 got to help arrange the outings, chores, and blocks of free play. I didn’t force him to go to story time or gymnastics, which he used to enjoy but told me he didn’t want to do. I let the kids spray hoses just because. And the DVD player got more use than I used to be OK with. As for the wrestling, Kid 2 can hold his own against his brother better every day.
Flash forward to the end of August, 2014. “Time for an outside bath!” I announce. It’s OK that I interrupt playtime: a choo-choo train of two kids and a wooden train whistle appears, whoo-whooing with no further direction from me out the back door. Kid 1 designates the station where I should place the tub and turns the water on. Kid 2 brightens my day with a fit of giggles at being sprayed by big brother. A bit of natural history kicks in: “Look, it’s the Santa Cruz River!” describes Kid 1 of rivulets of water on the patio. Then, “It looks like raindrops!” while examining drips coming off of a chair. Somewhere in all that, the kids get clean, and I can truly breathe. Growing up in Arizona, I had adapted to the desert. Now, bit by bit, I’m adapting to parenthood.
Afterward
When I was a newish mama, friend Emily Mitchell originally published my writing as a guest blog for her Films about Family site. Her coaching, encouragement, and “How’s everyone doing with 2?” question at a playgroup gathering, helped me start my own Nature to You blog in 2017.
I’m an oldish mama now, still raising my family in Tucson. Successfully overcoming the summer blues in 2014 motivated me to continue seeking solutions and sharing my ups and downs with others. A few years later, my boys learned that a plastic bathtub is actually called a “wading pool”. They are now teenagers, and quite self-sufficient in the summer. I’m glad to be around most days while school’s out to provide some structure. I’m also proud of my business that grew in part out of creative necessity, especially in those early summers. I’ve written about other hot weather solutions over the years in the entries “Tips and Tricks for Getting Kids Outside“, “Camp Mom“, “Crepuscular Summer“, “Picture This“, and “Small Stuff“. Summer blues are real. Adapt creatively, and reach out if you need some extra help 😊