Maycember Overwhelm: Why Parents Feel Burned Out This Time of Year

I had every intention of writing this article last year. But here we are in early May again. The calendar is overflowing, we just had a week of company in town for our annual Derby party, and I’m writing this in the middle of kids’ schedules and projects, vacation planning, and trying to catch up on work. “Maycember” is chaos for me, and I don’t even have small children anymore.

What is Maycember?

Parents describe Maycember as feeling “busier than December,” “barely keeping my head above water,” and “falling into bed wondering what we even did today.” And honestly, that feels accurate.

One minute it’s late April and you’re thinking about summer plans in a calm, hypothetical way. The next, you’re running out for poster board at 9 p.m., realizing there are three events on Thursday night, and wondering why every single permission slip requires a different app.

There are tournaments, team parties, school plays, concerts, field days, award ceremonies, spirit weeks, graduations, teacher appreciation gifts, class parties, and somehow everyone suddenly needs white shoes or a themed T-shirt by tomorrow morning.

And layered on top of all of it are the invisible responsibilities parents carry this time of year: planning summer childcare, booking travel, registering for camps, trying to maintain some version of normal life while routines quietly unravel around the edges.

If you’ve found yourself saying things like:

• “Why is everything this week?”
• “We basically live in the car right now.”
• “I’m drowning in SignUpGenius links.”
• “I feel like I need a personal assistant just for May.”
• “How are there three events at the same time?”

You are not alone.

The Emotional and Financial Weight of Maycember

There’s a strange emotional tension to Maycember too. These are often beautiful moments. Important ones. Your child’s final elementary school concert. The last soccer game of the season. A kindergarten graduation that makes you wonder where on earth the time has gone.

But when your nervous system is overloaded, it becomes harder to actually experience the joy of those moments while you’re living them. You’re sitting in the audience trying to be present while also remembering you still need to order a coach’s gift and book summer camp and bring something for the class party.

And unlike some holiday obligations, many of these events aren’t optional. You can’t exactly skip your child’s school play or dance recital.

There’s also the financial layer that sneaks up this time of year. Teacher gifts, coach gifts, recital costumes, tournament fees, summer registrations, travel deposits, graduation celebrations — it adds up quickly! By mid-May, many parents are emotionally overloaded and watching money move out the door at an exhausting pace.

A major hack on the Canvas platform has made life even more chaotic for many college students and professors. Here’s what one student posted to social media:

Respect for the “please don’t email me” line!

Why Maycember Feels So Dysregulating

One thing I’ve noticed about this season is that everyone in the family starts functioning with a fuller stress bucket.

Children are often staying up later, eating differently, moving through overstimulating environments, and experiencing constant changes to their routines. Even positive experiences can tax the nervous system when there’s very little downtime in between.

And parents are carrying the logistical and mental load of making it all happen.

This is why children may seem more emotional, more reactive, more sensitive, or more exhausted this time of year. And honestly, adults often do too.

We tend to think of stress as something caused only by difficult experiences. But the nervous system also responds to excess stimulation, decision fatigue, rushing, noise, transitions, unpredictability, and lack of recovery time.

May has a little bit of all of it.

A Gentler Way Through Maycember

I don’t think the answer is becoming perfectly organized or suddenly mastering balance. It’s probably more aligned with softening our expectations.

Maybe this is the season for simpler dinners and more takeout. Maybe the laundry sits longer than usual. Maybe not every event gets the Pinterest-worthy touch. Maybe “good enough” becomes the family motto for a few weeks.

And maybe that’s okay.

One thing that has helped me is remembering that children don’t actually need a perfectly executed season. They need a regulated adult nearby. They need moments of connection woven between the chaos. That might look like:

• opt out of anything unnecessary this time of year
• sitting outside together after practice
• taking a few slow breaths in the parking lot before pickup
• choosing rest over productivity for one evening
• reading a guided meditation script with your child at bedtime
• ordering pizza without guilt

Tiny moments of support matter right now. Find much more on regulating your child’s nervous system here.

Nervous System Support for Parents During Maycember

When life gets louder and faster externally, it helps to intentionally create small moments of slowness internally.

Not in an aspirational “spa day” kind of way, but in a realistic, nervous-system-friendly way. A few things that genuinely help during seasons like this:

Create transition moments

Instead of rushing from one thing directly into the next, pause for thirty seconds before getting out of the car or walking into the house. Let your body catch up with where you are.

Regulate before responding

When children melt down during busy seasons, it’s often a sign of overload rather than misbehavior. Taking one slower breath before reacting can completely shift the tone of an interaction.

Get outside whenever possible

Start your morning by getting daylight in your eyes. Sequential daylight exposure is essential for proper sleep and hormone function (in parents and kids). Even ten minutes outside after school or practice can help discharge stress hormones and reset everyone’s system a bit.

Protect sleep as much as you can

Not perfectly. Just protect it where possible. A few extra minutes of quiet, earlier lights out after busy evenings, or slower mornings can make a bigger difference than we realize. And be mindful of screens and blue light before bedtime.

Lower the mental load where you can

This may not be the month to overcomplicate meals, volunteer for extra commitments, or take on ambitious projects. Preserving energy is productive too.

Don’t take it too seriously

Years ago, during kindergarten orientation as our first-born babies were being shown the school bus, the mom next to me said, “I feel like I’m going to throw up.” Once I was sure she was being dramatic on purpose, we became instant friends.

There’s nothing wrong with calling out the chaos of this time of year. Your fellow parents are feeling it too. I also think there’s something powerful about simply naming this season for what it is. When we say, “This is a hard stretch,” instead of “Why can’t I keep up?” we create a little more compassion for ourselves.

Not everything has to be perfect this time of year. Children are far more likely to remember feeling connected, supported, and loved than whether every detail went according to plan.

And eventually, the calendar will empty, the backpacks will get tossed aside for summer, and this busy season will pass.