Happy July! You all know this vibe, but I’m going to give it a name…The Summertime Surrender! You know, the moment when your kids come out of the pool and you think, well I guess they don’t really need to take a shower tonight or when they go screaming after the ice cream truck at 6 pm pre-dinner and you say to yourself, well, there is dairy in ice cream. How about the moment when you try and comb their hair but an argument starts and you think, what the heck, they are just going outside to play today! The parenting summertime surrender is a beautiful thing and I hope we can all embrace it wholeheartedly. Especially after the long, long year it’s been!

Letting go of the reins does not make us bad parents; it falls under the self-care category. We need to relinquish some control over the scheduling, the carpooling, the planning and arranging of our lives during the school year. I also think it's incredibly important for our kids to see us “lighten up” and relax the rules.

 

 

My kids truly believed that if they were in a body of water larger than the bathtub, this automatically deemed them “clean.” Is lake water really clean?? And shouldn’t salty ocean water be washed off?? And, my personal favorite, chlorine is just not considered skincare. But sometimes, you just have to throw in the towel and that’s when adding some good conditioner to comb out tangles or a good old wipe can work just as well as a quick shower. Clean is clean after all!

So, here’s my summertime surrender confession – I have been known to tell my kids that yes, the shampoo dripping down their bodies is just fine for a body wash after a long day at the beach or pool! Truth is, the cleaning agents are the same or close enough and well, clean is clean, right?? And I’m also a wipes junkie! Wipes are the greatest gift to a parent! Face, hands, bodies and more – there is nothing better than a wipe for a quick pick me up. The TBH Kids Gentle Wipes are amazing.. Cucumber essence, aloe and calendula are gentle enough for little faces and hands and yes, a quick substitute for bath time – go ahead, own it – and surrender! Enjoy the dog days of summer!

Risa Barash,
Founder & Owner of the entire Fairy Tales Hair Care Family