Summer is almost here. Which means long, lazy days of…..rushing around from activity to activity. Trying to cram in swimming lessons, vacation, summer sports, library reading program….etc. That can sure suck the fun right out of summer break. When did summer become so scheduled? I recently read an article about having an “Unscheduled Summer”. There seems to be an epidemic of parents with good intentions – that end up ruining all the down time of summer by signing up for too many activities. In an effort to provide our children with all the opportunities we think they deserve, we might actually be robbing them of their childhoods. This got me thinking, and I started to second guess my summer to-do list.
So far I had:
-sign son up for T-ball
- plan two week vacation to CO
-swimming lessons
- put daughter in summer dance
- finish summer reading list
- drama class
- horse camp
- fishing trip
- school review once a week
- VBS
It seemed so overwhelming that I’ve made a new list. When I ask the kids what they want to do, all they ever say is “play”. So even though we’ll probably still do several things from the list above, here’s my NEW and improved list, taking into consideration what the kids want, not just what I want for them:
- sleep in
- lay in the grass and look at the clouds
- stay home all day
- have ice cream for dinner
- stay up late
- run through the sprinklers
- have a picnic in the yard
- read a book outside under a tree
THOSE are the things that summer memories are made of. I know that’s what I remember from my childhood (more than summer sports camps) just playing outside. Enjoying the green grass and summer sun.
Sports are great. Learning teamwork is great. Going on trips is great. Summer-school is great. But just getting to be a kid is great, too. Being at home in your own yard is great. Childhood is a precious thing, and I think many of its most special moments happen when nothing was scheduled or planned. When you just….are. Catching ladybugs. Swinging. Playing fairies in the trees. Riding bikes in the driveway. Listening to the birds. Playing catch. Sitting in the grass. Having a water balloon fight. Even getting bored. That’s the summer I want to have, and that’s the summer I want for my kids. And I’m sure that’s the summer they’d rather have, too.
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