Summer is Upon Us

Summer brings all the things for moms! 

There are moments of joy: 

 “Yay! I’m so excited to spend more time with my kids.” 

“No more early morning wake up calls and tight schedules.” 

“Warm weather and time to relax!” 

And there are moments of anxiety: 

“What am I going to do with my kids all day?” 

“My normal routine will be interrupted.” 

“How do I balance between projects and play?” 

Summers at our House

When I had ja few young kids at home I didn’t understand one mother’s lament, “Oh man! It’s only been one day and I’m already exhausted.”  I never wanted my children to feel like their coming home from school was a disappointment or struggle for me. 

Then I homeschooled and we didn’t have to go through that transition from all-day gone to all-day home. Those joyful and anxious thoughts happened more on a daily or weekly basis rather than only at the season change.  

But in the end, I really do love summer. The first day of school is actually hard for me as I get used to a quiet house. The first day of summer isn’t as difficult.  

This year is different, however. 

I will have an 18 year old who will mostly be working all the time. 

I will have a 14 year old who needs some direction but resists mom’s schedules. 

And will I have an 8 year old who is going to have the best summer of his life — the carefree days of roaming the neighborhood, playing imagination games with friends, and getting good and dirty. 

Three Tips for Making the Transition

I’m still uncertain of how intentional I need or want to be as I make the transition this year.  However, here are three tricks I use when making such transitions: 

The first week is DETOX week. 

The first week of summer we don’t start any elaborate schedule or  start following a strict chore chart.  I use that first week to assess.  I notice my kids’ behaviors —  do they sleep in or get up early?  I watch to see what the natural flow of the family will look like. Because I then take that natural flow and create a structure around it. Why fight the kids about following a strict schedule? It can be so much easier to get them on board if we’re following a flow together.

Come up with a summer theme. 

There is a lot out there about daily themes (i.e. Monday is art day, Tuesday is library day, etc…). I prefer an overarching theme for the whole summer and then fitting activities in that fit the theme.  One summer, for example, we focused on HEALTH and another summer spontaneously became MARVELous. It’s just fun to have a focus without it becoming so heavy.  (I’m leaning toward the healthy summer idea again this year.)

Let them be bored. 

So much of our kids’ lives are structured and planned. It’s easy to feel like we’re not doing enough as a mom when they are home in the summers. After all, this is precious time to be with them and we don’t want to waste it. I find that boredom is actually a great catalyst for creativity, imagination, and personal growth for our kids. And it’s good for us, too!  If I can allow my kids to be bored, then I can work on my own stuff, too! 

Overall, remember there is no rule book!  Summer can be a joyful time for families. As my kids get older it feels busier and more scattered, but there are those moments of connection that can happen in the summer unlike the school year when someone else is dictating your schedule. This is your time to choose what you want your family life to look like without all those distractions (okay, maybe a few with reunions and camps and things), but for the most part, you can design this summer to be what you want and need it to be!