How on earth did we get through all those cold, slushy months filled with all those hours indoors with our wild offspring? It doesn’t matter, we made it. Now we rejoice and celebrate, because Mother Nature’s golden rays of sun are shining down upon us.
Here are eight reasons parents especially are rejoicing now that spring is here:
1. Playmates abound
Go ahead and snap out of your daze from pushing that toy car across the carpet and saying “vrooooooom” with next-to-no enthusiasm because you’ve been doing it for three. Damn. Months. There are playmates a-knocking! Everyone is out and about, and who cares whether your kid is playing with a dog or a bug or a real human child, all that matters is that there are playmates that aren’t you.
2. The screens get a break.
Time for a little eyeball break from watching God-knows-what on YouTube (but can we recommend this one amazing YouTube channel?). The best part of turning the devices off is that watching your kids dig into other interests makes you feel like you aren’t totally failing as a parent. Turns out they still know how to socialize! The kids will be alright.
3. Hot dogs become an acceptable food group again.
Maybe you still served hot dogs five nights out of seven all winter, but now that it’s grilling season, you can keep doing it, just with a little less guilt. Slap together a fruit salad and that’s a five-star springtime meal right there, Martha.
4. You can pack up winter clothing.
From mittens to snow-pants to parkas, less layers to stuff tiny limbs through is a magical gift. Not having to bundle and de-bundle will give you about an hour of free time each day that you didn’t have before. No peed-in snow-pants to worry about or snot-covered scarves or searching for socks. You have been released.
5. The hose as hygiene
Kids are supposed to get dirty. But who wants to come in for a bath when the lightning bugs are out?
6. “Spring cleaning” = a chance to purge the kids’ junk
From too-small sweaters to toys with missing pieces to the 27 dried up tubs of play-doh that have been scattered across your kitchen counter for months, spring means it’s time for a massive de-cluttering. Don’t worry, kids, everyone is doing it!
7. So many seasonal beverages
Whether you’re a rosé-all-day kind of lady or you prefer mocktails, warmer weather is the perfect excuse to mix up a pitcher of something tasty. Ah, pitcher.
8. You get exercise without even trying.
Maybe you’ve got one eye on the kids from the comfort of your backyard hammock, and if that’s you, good for you. But there’s no denying that with the shift in weather, you’ll also probably be getting moving. Maybe you’ve been living in yoga pants all winter, but now you might actually feel motivated to, ya know, be more physical. Luckily parenting gives you tons of ways to get active. From kicking a ball around with the kids, to walking the dog as a family to just walking down the road to get ice cream, spring helps us all remember that our bodies were made for more than just sitting or standing only to eat over the sink.
