The unbusy summer – part one
June 17, 2009 by Marci
I am calling this the “Unbusy summer – part one” because I plan on posting our progress as these summer months go by. Our family has been planning a relaxing summer for months. And by planning, I really mean not planning. My husband and I decided that summer needs to be what we remember as kids – long, hot days filled with playing with the kids in the neighborhood, running thru sprinklers, riding bikes, eating sticky fruit pops on the porch, the occasional trip to the pool, baseball games…
The last couple summers, I bought into the lie that kids need to be scheduled and they should not be allowed to get bored! Who knows what might happen then? What a crock!! By July, my daughter and I were both exhausted and ready for a break! It took me two summers to figure it out, but I finally came to the realization that scheduled events and classes and camps are great in small doses and bored kids can actually become creative kids! Wow! What a revelation!
This summer, we have just a few things actually written on the calendar: Two weeks of Bible school – one in June and one in August , softball once a week and swimming lessons once a week. The rest of the time is for doing whatever each day brings and for having the time to enjoy it!
Take yesterday and today for examples. Yesterday, it was rainy and yucky outside. The kids were in Bible school and the thought of us being inside together all afternoon just didn’t appeal to me, so I called a friend to see what they were doing. To my delight, they were having a down, rainy day, too. Great! We’ll be over after Bible school! I spent a wonderful, relaxing afternoon chatting with a good friend while the kids disappeared into the basement to play. After a couple hours, I rounded up thekids and headed home. We weren’t hurried because neither family had any plans for the evening except to spend time as families. That evening, the weather cleared and we went on a bike ride. What a great day!
This morning, I didn’t have anything planned, so I got to catch up with a friend over coffee while the kids were at Bible school. This afternoon, the kids and I ate lunch outside, they ran through the sprinklers for a while and now they are doing an art project together. They would be playing with the kids in the neighborhood, but they all have something scheduled this afternoon! These are the kinds of days I want my summer to be filled with! I want to be able to relax and reconnect with my family and friends without a bunch of commitments that aren’t adding anything meaningful to our lives.
How is your summer going? Is it “busy” or is it just right? How is it different from summers growing up?
Comments (4)
I love this! Your kids will be making such wonderful memories this summer. I look forward to reading more!
What a great idea. I am going to strive for the same attitude! I always regret no slowing down more during the summer and this will be a good challenge to get there. Thanks!
It’s was rainy and cold in NY today too – wish I had called my girlfriends!
So far they’ve had a wonderful summer! My husband has taken them to the beach twice just this week. My mom has a pool and they’ve been to swim in that. But a lesson I’ve learned is you don’t have to stay at the beach or the pool ALL day. My daughter burns so bad and there’s nothing wrong with a couple of hours and then you still have the rest of the day to do what you want. Well, I live so near the beach I guess that advice doesn’t help everybody…LOVE the idea of riding bikes together. We don’t live in an area where we could do that but my mom does, I should take the bikes there and go for a ride. What a great idea. Thanks!
I am glad to hear your summer has not been busy… mine either!! YAY for family and friends time!!
Have a blessed weekend, Marci!!