Summer: A Blessing or Burden?
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Summer is here.
For parents, the wide-open summer schedule is both a gift and a problem to be solved. Charles Dickens said it best, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”
The restful rhythm of summer is a gift—no more school lunches, homework packets, parent meetings, programs, or late-night soccer games. But also, this lack of structure can lead to some anxiety about what to do with all this free time. Too much family togetherness could lead to bickering and generally low levels of frustration with each other.
Parents might be asking:
What am I supposed to do with my kids all summer? How many days can children binge-watch Netflix before it adversely impacts child development? Is it okay for them to be bored? How do I keep my kids from fighting all day while I am trying to manage conference calls?
I am entering my 25th summer season as a parent. My summer looks very different with older children than it looked in my younger years. I spent many years asking myself the questions above, and even after all of these years, I don’t know how to solve the problem of summer completely, but I do know the importance of recognizing the gifts in it.
Here are some ideas to savor your family time this summer while making some memories:
- Make a habit of getting outside with the family at least once a day (walking, hiking, fishing, riding bikes, playing ball, swimming, flying a kite, throwing a Frisbee, shooting Nerf guns, etc.). Fresh air is good for the soul. Create a bucket list with all the neighborhood parks and visit all of them before the end of the summer.
- Post a prayer request list in the house and spend 5 minutes praying with your children every day. Teach them to pray scripture over others.
- Be intentional with family movie night by picking meaningful movies. Let your children participate in choosing and evaluating the movie.
- Consider incentivizing your children to read and discuss good books. For some book ideas, check out the Headmaster’s Reading List.
- Pick one new recipe every week to make with your kids. For older kids, assign them a meal to be in charge of, including grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning up.
- Brainstorm how your family can serve and encourage others outside the family (neighbors, emergency helpers, delivery personnel, healthcare professionals). List the ideas on small paper or popsicle sticks and put them into a jar. Choose one at random every week of the summer to implement.
Also, here are some tried and true ideas for local summer fun:
- Enroll your kids in CCA Summer Camps.
- Fort Worth Botanical Garden or Zoo
- Casa Manana
- Movement Rock Climbing Gym
- NrH20 Water Park
- Grapevine Vintage Railroad
- Coyote Drive-In Movie
Whatever you do this summer, be grateful for the season you are in with your family. Do not let your friends’ perfect Insta story on a Hawaiian beach get you down because the biggest thing you have planned is a trip to the grocery store. Remember, most parents post the highlight reel, and you don’t know the cost of that aesthetic Hawaiian snapshot.
God put you exactly where you are in this moment to accomplish His purposes.
Be grateful for the gift and the struggle inherent in summer.
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