Lagos Summer Diaries: Right in the Thick of It with My Energetic Boys - By Rohini Chugani

We’re knee-deep in the Lagos summer holidays, and let me tell you - it’s a lot.

Being a working mom during this stretch is like juggling flaming oranges on a tightrope… in the rain. With most of our friends escaping to summer breaks abroad, we’ve been holding the fort here, trying to keep the kids entertained (and sane).

I’ve managed to buy myself a few uninterrupted morning hours by putting together a packed little schedule: tennis, piano, drums, art, maths… and maybe a sprinkle of “how not to fight over the remote” training.

Afternoons? That’s when I put work on pause and try to be fully present. Not always easy when emails are piling up like wet laundry, but I’m choosing memories over meetings (well, most of the time).

Of course, the weather hasn’t made things easy. Our plans for outdoor adventures have been washed out repeatedly, so we’ve been rotating between the cinema, Upbeat trampoline park, Kids’ Corner, Funville, pottery sessions, coffee shop dates, and roughly 347 playdates. (but who is counting?)

Some afternoons we’ve transformed the house into a disco party (complete with flashing disco lights and questionable dance moves).

Other days, we wind down with chill-out music and bubble baths—my not-so-secret trick for resetting the mood and hiding from more snack requests.

There have been magical moments: watching the boys actually enjoy each other’s company, laughing over made-up games, and playing like they forgot how to bicker.

And then… the inevitable arguments. The loud, dramatic, “he looked at me funny” type of squabbles.

I’ve paused more work calls than I can count to settle disputes over who touched who’s LEGO or who breathed too loudly. I’m basically the United Nations - if the UN also packed lunch & handed out mosquito repellent.

We’re still in the thick of it - tired, grateful, and completely out of new activity ideas.

But also? I know how lucky I am.

Someone once said, “You only get 11 summers with your kids before they stop wanting to hang out with you.” And that quote keeps echoing in my mind. I’m smack in the middle of those 11 summers, and as exhausting as it is, I don’t want to wish it away.

So here we are: making trade-offs instead of chasing balance, dancing in the living room instead of running errands, and soaking in the chaos while I still can.

Because these summers - these messy, noisy, beautiful summers with my energetic boys - won’t last forever.

– A Lagos Mama Just Trying Her Best 💛