Forget December... May Is The Month That Actually Breaks Moms

Everyone warns you about December. The chaos, the spending, the emotional spiral of trying to make magic happen while slowly losing your mind. But I would like to formally nominate May as the month that breaks me. Because May is December without the twinkly lights or cute presents.

It's back-to-back school events sprinkled with insane sports schedules and forced family time. It doesn’t come with social permission to fall apart or be emotionally drained, like the winter months. And every single year, it sneaks up on me like I didn’t just do this exact thing 12 months ago.

The spring sports alone will take even the most seasoned and energetic mom down. The sheer volume of practices, games, and tournaments is enough to make your head spin — and with multiple kids, well, you will be wishing Bezos created a time-traveling machine to make it all happen.

You will drive around in a car littered with snacks, uniforms, and forgotten water bottles to stand on the sidelines listening to a whole bunch of seemingly unhinged people rant and rave about referees, playing time, and the adequacy of their 8-year-old’s athletic performance. No amount of Xanax will be enough.

Then there are the school events, which will suddenly start to multiply as the school year winds down. Field days, concerts, spirit weeks, and big projects will fill the calendar in and around everything else. There will be random themed days that you will find out at 9 p.m. the night before (or not at all). And whatever you do, don’t forget to sign up for the Teacher Appreciation Week bake sale! You don’t want to seem ungrateful.

Oh, and how could I forget Mother’s Day? You know... the special day just for you that you are also responsible for managing. It’s a full-time job to coordinate your kids’ and husband’s expectations before remembering that you have a mother and mother-in-law who also need to be tended to. Because even on your special day, there is no pause button for the mental load of motherhood.

Hopefully someone at least grabs me a donut.

There’s also the emotional whiplash that comes with just making it to this point. In a month of complete exhaustion, moms are feeling reflective of the long school year we have all made it through. A little nostalgia for someone who is already mentally and emotionally pretty depleted. One ticket to Crashoutville, please!

Oh, and I would be remiss not to mention the financial ass-kicking that comes with May. The teacher and coaches' gifts, sports fees, banquets, and all the other end-of-year extras. Sprinkle those in with some summer camp deposits, and consider my 401K cashed out just in time for them to be home all summer asking for “just a few bucks” every morning.

While December brings culturally acknowledged chaos, May hits us moms with silent sufferings. All of us, out here with packed schedules and family fun, just surviving the best we can.

So for the remainder of the month, I wish you all good luck. May your schedules be color-coded and your sideline snack bags full. And hey... don’t forget that Tuesday is neon hat day.

Samm is an ex-lawyer and mom of four who swears a lot. Find her on Instagram @sammbdavidson.