Last Updated on April 4, 2024

Saturdays are my least favourite day, I actually dread them.

My husband works late every night, and on Saturdays he also works all day, which means that I’m with the boys on my own a lot.

By the time Saturday comes around, I’ve had enough, and the thought of having no school, and no routine, is something that fills me with dread every Saturday morning.

However, the main reason why Saturdays are my least favourite day is because I have no family support.

Five years ago we moved from Australia to the UK, so apart from my sister who lives in London, my entire family lives in Australia.

This means that I have no family around to take some of the parenting load off my hands.

It also means that I compare my lack of support to the actual support my friend’s get when they have days out with their other half and children, or when their parents take their children out for the day so they can get a break, have a nap, or go out on their own.

Constantly comparing my level of support to those around me, plays a large part in how I think about Saturdays, and having these feelings combined with being stuck in a never ending cycle of preparing food, cleaning, and making parenting decisions each week makes me feel really bad.

I’ve finally decided that it’s time to rethink my Saturdays, so I can minimise the feelings I have towards them, and here’s what I’m hoping will help.

I’m going to change my expectations

Accepting that Saturdays are my least favourite day, and reminding myself that they are what they are, is a good way for me to snap out of my Saturday mood and just get on with it.

My Saturdays are not going to get easier, Nick will always be working, and my family isn’t going to move here.

By letting go of any expectations that I can’t have, and just taking the day for what it is, will enable me to focus on what needs doing, and just getting it done.

Have a plan in place

Having a plan in place will be the biggest improvement to my Saturdays.

Currently every Saturday involves Ryan’s swimming lesson in the morning, and then we stay home all day, because I feel like after a week of routines and school, we all need some downtime.

However, most children I know, including my own, don’t like downtime, it makes them irritable.

To avoid everyone feeling irritable, which is what happens here on Saturdays, I need to start having a plan for every Saturday, which means getting out of the house for some period of time.

This is going to be key for making our Saturdays a bit more fun, and hopefully lift all our moods.

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