Issue 54: The Good-Enough Mom's Guide to Spring Break
Let's keep the bar as low as possible, shall we?
My sisters and I always joke about how our mom is a “good enough” mom—when we were growing up, she didn’t often plan picture-perfect birthday parties or do elaborate crafts with us; she mostly dressed us in whatever clothes fit and we ate baked potatoes with cheese and sour cream at least once a week. This continued as we got older; now we don’t let her do the dishes when she comes over to our houses because we will inevitably find something stuck to a pot afterwards — “good enough!!” she will exclaim.
Before I had kids I thought of her M.O. as a little careless, or ambivalent, or maybe even a little lazy. Why didn’t she want to do it right? I would think. But now that I’m a parent, I know exactly why she didn’t: she was overworked, tired, burnt at both ends, and frankly did not have the capacity to add baking-a-four-tiered-birthday-cake-from-scratch to her to-do list. Duncan Hines frosting from a can was good enough. And honestly? It was.
In a full circle moment, I am now also a Good-Enough Mom. I pack my kids’ lunches, but they may very well find stale Cheez-its or a rogue Kraft single included once in awhile because I ran out of time to go to the store the previous day. Mismatched socks are just fine around here. Christmas wrapping paper for a friend’s birthday gift: two enthusiastic thumbs up. Bringing a half-eaten bag of popcorn to a playdate in the park? Absolutely.
Spring break is upon us, and my Good-Enough Mom self is ready. We are not taking our kids on a trip to Hawaii or going to Disneyland; besides the cost of a vacation for four being very expensive, we honestly don’t have the mental fortitude for it at the moment. Our kids are feral animals!!! Someday, but not today.
This guide is for those of us simply trying to entertain our kids for a week without losing our minds. Even if you’re a More-Than-Good-Enough Mom, join us. Lean into complete disregard for societal expectations. Unload that unwarranted guilt for not doing it all. Put down that homemade rainbow rice bin. Let the chaos and cheap thrills rain down on you.
The crucial thing to know about the Good-Enough Mom is that her moniker still includes the important bit: good. We don’t have to do everything perfectly to be good. We are already good simply because we continue to show up, incomplete projects and half-baked ideas in tow. I will tell you this much: what I remember most about my childhood was that my mom was there. She’s in every scene I can conjure from that time. She was there, she was good, and that was enough.
And now, some ideas for Good-Enough Mom Spring Break!
Sloth mornings. Stay in bed scrolling your phone for as long as possible. Luxuriate in those jams. Let the children eat fistfuls of sugary cereal straight from the box. Pretend it’s 1984 and carbohydrates are still the primary food group. Worry about protein and real clothes after 1pm.
One activity per day. Set your unambitious sights on doing one thing each day. No more, no less. Let’s not bite off too much. This is a marathon, not a sprint. This can be as low-effort or high-effort as you want! Check your “what can I endure with small humans today”-ometer, and go with your gut. Some ideas:
Park, obviously. Easy win. Absolutely over-the-top extra credit if you walk or let them ride their bikes and scooters! Maybe a NEW park if you’re feeling really optimistic?!
Errands: You’ve got things to do, spring break be damned. Maybe it’s the grocery store, or Target, or Costco. Tell them they can pick one treat if they sit nicely in the cart the whole time, and then just buy them the treat anyways when they inevitably do not sit nicely in the cart the whole time because who has the emotional bandwidth for discipline right now?!
The library: This really can go one of two ways—they are otherworldly angels in the bodies of your own maniacal children and sweetly pick out some books and play quietly in the kids area and you all go home giddy from the outing OR they are shrieking animals hurling sharp cornered books everywhere and you drag them out screaming without checking a single item out. It’s a gamble!
Chaotic crafting: Dump every single random item that might qualify as “craft-adjacent” onto the table and let them run amok with unbridled creativity! Paper, glue, scissors (practice and small wounds make perfect), pipe cleaners, googly eyes, stickers, markers, crayons, beads, more glue!! Glitter?! Who’s to say how unhinged you are! If it’s warm out I recommend taking this activity outside—for easy cleanup, let them go wild with the leaf blower sling-shotting any leftover scraps into the neighbor’s yard!
Children’s museum or local playspace: Built to be childproof, your only real job is to make sure they stay mostly in your line of sight and don’t start WWIII with another child. Not guaranteed, but fairly doable.
Order take-out. Now is not the time to embark on that NYT souffle you’ve had bookmarked. Order out as much as needed and/or is fiscally feasible. Macaroni and chicken nuggets and bean burritos and “red pasta” the rest of the time. Beyond day two, lunches are free-for-alls.
Elicit a FaceTime babysitter. Plop those kids in front of your phone, call up nana or mimi or auntie or cousin and let them entertain your kids for awhile! Slink off for a scalding hot 2-minute shower, lay horizontal somewhere and close your eyes for 90 seconds, or read a page and half of that book that’s been on your nightstand for 7 weeks. Self-care at last!
When in doubt, more ice cream. Can you imagine the envy from other kindergarteners when your kid shows up back to school and says that he went out for ice cream THREE TIMES over break?! A legend.
Worship at the screen time altar. The limit of screen time does not exist when you have work/housekeeping/laundry/dinner prep/etc to attend to. Feel not an ounce of shame.
Hide. I wouldn’t call this a last resort because a last resort would be driving to the local courthouse to change your name then hopping on the next flight to the Amalfi Coast never to be heard from again BUT hiding will offer some of the same freedoms especially if you hide with an Aperol spritz in hand. You can think of this as “hide and seek,” you’re just giving yourself a head start, and soon they’ll figure it out and start seeking, right? Do NOT hide in the bathroom, that is a rookie mistake. Think spooky closet, or maybe the attic or garage? A little fear is good for them, it builds character!
Good luck and godspeed! And if your spring break is over: you did it. Bravo.
All my Good Enough Moms out there: tell me your favorite low-effort activity, your top sanity-saving tip, the thing you can’t live without that will carry us through! We need each other now more than ever!! 💬
This is hysterical and so spot on! *Good Enough* is GREAT! ⭐️
Good column , Bud ! Now you're getting Mom's philosophy : Yer on yer own !"