For the Love of June

Links and recs goodness coming your way!

This roundup is extra juicy, just like a big piece of watermelon at a summer picnic. It’s so juicy that Substack tells me it might get cut off in your email. You can read the whole roundup here. So let’s get right into it!

Photo by Kenta Kikuchi on Unsplash

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Stuff to read

• Self-Compassion in Motherhood is A Radical Act from

  Amber Groomes,Ph.D. (she/her)

• Ranking Insufferable Adults Found at Kid’s Sporting Events from

  Shelly Mazzanoble

• A singular source of joy from

  Rosie Spinks

In the Substack universe there have been some great pieces on summer…

• This one from

  The Workspace for Children
  on how You Don’t Have to Recreate a 90’s Summer-let go of the pressure and keep the good stuff

• Are you looking for books for kids about summer? Here is one from

  Sri Juneja
  and one from
  Sarah Miller
  .

• The Summer of Boredom by

  Debbie Sorensen
  .

• Screen time…there is a lot out there in this season, but let me direct you to guidance from

  Jacqueline Nesi, PhD
  in How to do screen time this summer and this mindset shift in Your summer screen time plan from
  TheGamerEducator
  .

• A Free Range Summer is Not Free by

  Rebekah Peeples
  .

Stuff to do in summer

• Take a summer vacation...from the social media platform of your choice. I’ll see Instagram and Facebook in the fall (or maybe not).

  

  My “out of Instagram” Post

• Read books…that tell stories of travel or journeys. I’ve recently read this one*, this one*, and that one*.

• Listen to the classics…and yes, those are socks on the dashboard.

  

• Spend time with new friends…while you drive your kids to camp.

  

Featured Substacks

Writers on Substack can recommend other Substack publications. It’s a great way for readers to discover new Substacks and for writers to support one another. But as with most things online, the recommendations can get lost in the platform. I am now highlighting only a handful of wonderful publications each month. I feature a couple in the monthly roundup.

This month’s featured Substacks are:

Clarkie Doster

and I have a lot in common when it comes to our passion for reading and supporting families in their reading lives. I love the knowledge, energy, and creativity that Clarkie brings to her Substack,

Book Party

. Clarkie’s ideas are accessible to families, not prescriptive and overwhelming. Check out this post on The Family Audiobook Walk/Ride/Party to get a taste. Clarkie also contributed to the “How to Read in Parenthood” guide that was released in May on A Wonderful Mess.

Naomi Gottlieb-Miller

writes honestly about motherhood, and more than once, my comments on her pieces are simply along the lines of “oh my goodness, yes, that happens to me, too.” Naomi brings her unique perspective to topics on parenting, diet culture, movement, fitness, and more on her Substack,

What moves you

.

What’s been happening on A Wonderful Mess

• In May, we read about complicated mothers in fiction, highlighted Amanda Hess’s new book, Second Life, found awe in the everyday, and explored why parents should read books and how. In June, we welcomed two guest authors. First,

  Mikhal
  shared insights on ADHD and empathy. And then, my husband,
  Ian Barbash
  , shared a piece about fatherhood in honor of Father’s Day. I declared some intentions for the summer. And most recently shared some valuable statistical analysis of my four unique kids.

• Over in the Messy Summer Reading Club, we have talked about planning, remembering to read, and bookmark style.

• Oh, and some glorious giveaways are going on this week:

  A bookmark giveaway to all subscribers here, and a paid subscriber book bundle giveaway.

  

  And one more thing

Let me introduce you to the “mud maker”. We have struggled in the past to find an approach that works for everyone’s needs (adults included) for access to water to make nature-based concoctions (which we support). Access to the hose has not worked well, and running in and out of the house was a problem. A full bucket usually left someone in tears after having said bucket dumped (possibly on them). We now have the “mud maker,” and it’s been going very well. This one was from Target, but there are many options out there for anyone with young mud makers.

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*I am an affiliate of bookshop.org, if you purchase through this link, I will earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you)

As always, just a little reminder: The content on A Wonderful Mess posted by Dr. Kathryn Barbash, PsyD, is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical, clinical, legal, or professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Reliance on any information provided is solely at your own risk. Always seek the advice of your licensed mental health professional or other qualified health provider.