Fact: Parents are never not busy. But throughout the month of May, the runway toward the end of the school year means that kid-related scheduling takes on a life of its own.
There’s even a word to define it: “Maycember.” The viral social media trend can be traced back to TikTok. The concept—dreamed up by the Holderness family—is set to the tune of “December” by Earth, Wind and Fire and drives home a massive spring pain point for parents: We feel busy like it’s Christmas...but it’s May.
I’m here to attest that words never rang so true. In the past week alone, I’ve fielded emails about school fundraisers and end-of-year field trips, impromptu spirit days and final performances. Perhaps it’s the return to better weather, but socialization seems to pick up, too. Weekends are chock-full of birthday parties and park hangs. Parents need a sitter for this; child care for that. June graduations are coming (yes, schools tend to make a big deal, no matter the grade), but still, there’s something about May that puts schedules on overdrive...and parents are left scrambling to keep up.
Call me outdated, but I’m a parent who continues to swear by a paper calendar when it comes to committing details and dates to memory. But May requires me to sit down with it every evening just to sort out the daily logistics—responsibilities that require stamina and superhuman organizational abilities, not to mention forethought to ensure that sunscreen and snacks are at the ready and the proper gear is worn and supplied.
Don’t get me wrong: I love the sense of community. The rah-rah spirit and the effort put in by both teachers and community leaders, not to mention the chance to see my kids shine. But, unlike December, where post-holidays, there’s a bit of January downtime to get you through the blitz of non-stop occasions and socialization, right now, as a working mom, I feel a bit like I’m in the midst of a May/June marathon—with summer camp logistics as the only “reward” on the other side.
The pressure is also very, very real. Because every parent knows that the one Maycember occasion you decide to skip will be the one thing that becomes a core memory featuring feelings of disappointment for your child: “Mooooom, everyone else’s parents were there.”
It’s worth noting that I count myself an organized person. I love a good Google doc or Post-It reminder system, alongside my aforementioned paper calendar, of course. But even I mixed up the dates this week for my son’s gymnastics field trip, throwing our entire family’s calendar into disarray after realizing that I was scheduled to chaperone on the same day I had a morning full of meetings at the office. A solution was reached: My husband subbed in.
This led me to ask a few moms in my orbit for their Maycember survival tips. Because moms tend to be geniuses, they hit me with a few next-level solutions that were worth passing along:
Alexia Dellner, PureWow’s Executive Editor, shares that she has a text chain with another classroom where they text each other reminders about what’s coming up this week. “‘Thursday is pajama day. Don’t forget to bring in wipes tomorrow. Fundraiser tickets go on sale this week.’ Those are just a few examples. Stuff still falls through the cracks, but it definitely helps—and at least if one of us goes down, then we go down together,” Dellner says.
According to Candace Davison, VP of Editorial Content for PureWow, this is the key to staying on top of it all. “A mom I know uses one of those drop-down organizers especially during themed weeks, where—in addition to putting the week’s outfits all in there—she stores each day’s accessories, activities, teacher’s gifts and more, so that every morning, you just grab the day’s cubby contents and go. Think of it as meal prep, but for kids’ activities!”
Maycember is a lot, but another classroom parent I chatted with said this: “If you’re pushing your own limit or that of your kids, try to zoom out a bit and determine the things it’s OK to skip.” For example, yes, your kid probably can’t miss that final ballet performance they’ve been working all season toward, but if you have to sit out a birthday party or two just to give your fam some breathing space, give yourself permission to clear the calendar.
The point? As more and more parents take to the internet to share their end-of-year overwhelm and logistical woes, let me leave you with this plea: Go easy on them. The old cliché holds true in this case—there are only so many hours in the day. The fact that parents are staying up into the wee hours of the night putting the finishing touches on school talent show costumes or waking up early to bake cupcakes for an impromptu classroom party feels like we’ve been tasked with trying to beat the clock all month.
Yes, we’re doing it, but affording a little grace to those under pressure would be nice.
