#Summerbreak

A viral essay praising lazy summer days has sparked renewed discussion about how Thai families manage rest, screens, and downtime during long holidays. While the piece highlights the appeal of unstructured days, Thai readers seek practical guidance on health, social skills, and readiness for the new term.

In Thailand, many families already fill breaks with camps and tutoring. Yet concerns about burnout and mental well-being prompt a closer look at three key elements: sleep, screen time, and unstructured time. Credible research suggests that healthy routines during holidays can support mood, focus, and immune health as students return to school.

As the annual debate over how children should spend their lengthy school holidays reignites, a recent viral essay by an American mother has sparked conversation about the virtue—and potential pitfalls—of letting kids sleep late, use screens, and simply do nothing all summer. The article, published on July 13, 2025, by Business Insider, describes a parent intentionally allowing her children the freedom to enjoy “lazy days” reminiscent of 1980s summers: sleeping in, relaxing at home, and engaging in unstructured leisure, often involving digital devices. This parenting decision, while resonant for many, raises important questions about the effects of unrestricted sleep, screen use, and downtime on children’s health, social development, and academic readiness—concerns that resonate with Thai families as school and community routines transform during the long summer break.

Thai university students increasingly stay in their college towns for internships or part-time work, leaving parents to navigate pride, sadness, and a touch of self-doubt. This growing pattern mirrors global trends and is reshaping family life in Thailand. Recent opinion pieces and research show that many young adults opt to remain away from home during summer to gain real-world experience, challenging the traditional holiday homecoming.

The debate gained attention after an advice column described a parent proud of their child’s independence, yet emotionally unsettled by the distance. A student chose to stay about 300 miles from home, living and working in their college town. The parent wondered whether such distance signals a weakening of family bonds or a misalignment with their own values about togetherness.

As Thai university students increasingly pursue summer jobs or internships far from home, many parents are left coping with a complex blend of pride, sadness, and self-doubt—a phenomenon on the rise worldwide and now affecting countless families in Thailand. Recent advice columns and psychological research highlight a growing trend: instead of returning home for the holidays, many young adults choose to remain in their college towns, seeking independence and real-world experience, but leaving parents behind to face a sometimes painful sense of emptiness and loss (MLive).

While many might assume that the frantic energy of the holidays ranks as parents’ most challenging season, a growing body of research and recent surveys reveal a different reality—it’s the end of the school year, with its overlapping obligations and the looming, unstructured expanse of summer break, that weighs most heavily on parents’ minds. This pattern, observed in both American and Thai families, holds crucial lessons as societies increasingly recognize the need to support parents and children during transitional periods outside the academic calendar.

A growing body of research shows that the end of the school year, not the holidays, is the peak season for parental stress. The overlap of end-of-year commitments and the long summer break creates a demanding period for families in both the United States and Thailand. This insight emphasizes the need to support parents and children during transitional moments outside the academic calendar.

A recent poll of 2,000 millennial parents in the United States found that nearly one-third report exhaustion as the school year ends, with similar shares noting anxiety and feeling overwhelmed as they balance summer plans with work. The end of year also brings high-ticket childcare costs, making structured summer activities inaccessible for many families. Data suggests day camps can cost between $73 and $87 per day, contributing to unstable routines for children and increased workloads for parents. Research highlights the broader impact of these pressures on family well-being and routines.