It’s the week of Spring Break for our family, so the theme of this episode, naturally, is Spring Break-down. In the episode, I’ll cover what’s in the ParentNormal News about spring breakdowns. I’ll also touch on springbreakdowns in the ParentNormal Mailbag segment while also covering other calendar events this week like Daylight Savings Time and St. Patrick’s Day.

ParentNormal Questions Answered in this Episode:

• Do you have any parenting tips for St. Patrick’s Day?
• How do you survive the daylight savings time change with kids when every parent knows that keeping kids on a schedule is so important?
• Am I the only parent who feels like they are being mocked when they hear the term “spring break?” Isn’t there a better name that doesn’t imply spring break is actually a break for parents?

In the ParentNormal News:

Students across the nation are showing adults that it is still possible for people of all backgrounds to unite behind a single message, and that message to adults this Spring Break week is, “I’m bored.” The student demonstrations of boredom began during minute number two of Spring Break and they are expected to continue throughout the week.

Parents have attempted to end the demonstrations by giving their kids endless entertainment opportunities and by taking them on expensive vacations, but the students are resolved to declare their boredom whenever there is a potential pause in their entertainment.

Meanwhile, a first grader in Paris, Texas was shocked this week to learn that she actually can wake up early on a weekday. She has been insisting every school day this year that she is too tired to wake up on time, much less early. But to her great surprise and her parent’s frustration, now that Spring Break has begun, she has transformed into a morning person, a very early morning person who wants to play all the time. When asked about her breakthrough, the six-year-old says she doesn’t expect it to last past the weekend.

In Loredo, New Mexico, a couple of grandparents are spending time this week with their grandkids and bragging to all of their friends back home that their grandkids are the sweetest and most brilliant grandkids in the world, despite tremendous evidence to the contrary. The grandparents claim their grandkids are so sweet and smart that they don’t break anything. They’re also so generous that they turn all sorts of very fragile things into 3D puzzles for their parents to put back together. The kids’ parents have no comment because they’re still cleaning up broken objects.

And finally, in travel news, the Parent Staycation Association has named their top destination for spring break this year. Rather than spend extraordinary amounts of money on taking kids to the beach or a theme park, the PSA suggests taking your kids to the mailbox.

According to the PSA’s research, for some unexplainable reason, kids actually get more excited to go to the mailbox than going on any ride at Disney World. And for any parent who might feel guilty about taking kids to the mailbox because it’s a cheap alternative to a theme park, there are still plenty of bills waiting in the mailbox to make sure you feel every cent of the trip.

About Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast

Since this episode was originally released, the show has evolved into Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast. It’s a show that’s for imperfect parents by imperfect parents. Hosted by humorist and imperfect parent of three Chris Cate, every episode breaks down a topic that causes parents to break down, such as putting kids to bed, potty training, the terrible twos, homework, clothing, discipline, cleaning up, cooking for kids, and so on….

By the end of each topic breakdown, parents will hopefully realize they aren’t alone in their struggles and that the craziness all parents go through is actually quite funny when it’s looked at in the right light. After all, the mission of the show is to help parents laugh when they want to cry.

Breaking Down Parenting: A ParentNormal Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.

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