July is for 'Acclimation' for Parents

When July arrives, my husband and I gradually shift into a state of battle readiness.
The real challenge is August. It lasts for a whole month.

The children are home most of the time. Well, they aren't home all day long, but I have to think about lunch every single day. Honestly, to everyone who prepares school lunches every day, thank you so much.

In our house, my husband is in charge of meals on weekends. That said, lunch is usually udon, and dinner is a rotation of set menu items. Therefore, we need to make sure we have the ingredients stocked up.

However, during summer vacation, we can't just get by with udon every day for lunch. We mix in nyumen, somen, and instant ramen, but it's basically simple noodle dishes.

Now that the children are older, I am able to go out to work on weekdays. It also helps that my husband uses a hybrid work style, combining office and remote work. Still, more than five years ago, I was doing it all on my own with two children at least on weekdays, and when I think about it now, I wonder how on earth I managed to get through it.

However, things have changed a bit recently. When my husband or I are home, our eldest son, who is in junior high, helps out with simple tasks. I rely on him quite a bit for lunch udon and help with dinner.

Since there have been occasional incidents of snacks being stolen, I can't place my full trust in the children, but my eldest daughter is in her final year of elementary school this year. My youngest daughter is in third grade. They aren't at an age where they need their parents with them every second.

Perhaps parenting has started to move into its next phase, just a little bit. We have reached a point where my husband and I can go to an art museum together once a month. It's becoming harder for the whole family's schedules to align, but we still go out together for important milestones.

I look forward to the 'wrap-up party' we have every year after summer vacation ends. Maybe this year, we could even include our eldest son.

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I participated in Rinka-san's 'Monthly tote' July issue, 'July x Lifestyle Essay' project!

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・Tomoshibi
A venture company employee and parallel worker who returned to work after adjustment disorder. Sharing information on mental health and the arts.