Summer can be magical. Let's keep it that way.
Summer can be magical. Do you remember spending days at the lake with friends? Taking on the jet ski or tubing like a champ? Running around catching fireflies at night? Laying under the stars?The most magical moments of those were where we weren’t doing much at all. We got to climb trees without fear of falling… We got to read books without pressure from parents to read them…We got to ride our bikes off sidewalks and in the grass without helmets...We got to hang out with friends way too late and have sleepovers…We got to swim in lakes and ponds and take in all that is nature… We got to have fun. Without our parents. Watching our every move. We were free.
We were the lucky ones…
Growing up, we had enough technology to allow our minds to wander, but not too much that we didn’t run, play, and explore until the street lights came on. Our parents let us be. We were able to get dirty and be resourceful without interference. We used our imaginations, built forts and created made up games to play with friends from the block. During the summer we were even more free. Parents headed to work - maybe we had a babysitter, maybe we didn’t. Maybe mom stayed home and offered food all day long as we ran in and out of the front, then back door. We weren’t captured on ring doorbells or called home via text messages to your friends mom. And we definitely weren’t policed by neighborhood facebook pages telling of kids climbing things at the park or calling out kids for ding dong ditching.
SPEAKING OF SUMMER, HOW ABOUT 100 things to do this Summer in Indianapolis?
Summers don't feel as free now but they can still be magical. They're still a time for kids to explore and play outside and attempt to be free so long as we allow it. It’s a hard bargain as a mom because we worry. We worry about anything and everything. Did we sign up for enough camps? Did we plan enough trips? Will we create enough memories for the kids to share with friends? Are we overscheduled? Are they reading enough? Are we doing enough? There are so many things we worry about. And it’s not that our parents didn’t worry, but they were allowed to worry a little less. {Not a bad thing.}
But let’s try something… maybe we can all try it together:
Let’s try our darnedest {which I know we are} to keep the magic of summer alive. The magic that we knew… Take a chance on lengthening the leash… Let the kids stay up past bedtime to watch a movie on the lawn…Let the kids play in mud after a storm…Let the kids make messes with paint and sparkles in the backyard (if you can’t handle it in the kitchen)...Encourage balloon and water gun fights… Let them run up and down the street without having to watch their every move… Help gather sticks to create a fort or fairy house…Give them a little space to become something, create something, try something new… Show your kids the magic of summer comes in all forms...From the rain and sunshine of beautiful mother nature…From building confidence by riding their bike around the corner where you can’t see them…From coming up with their own make believe land and creatures… Show them it’s ok to be a kid, it’s ok to have fun and be silly, and it’s ok to put a tablet down...Summers are short anymore, so make memories by breaking the rules even if just a little, encouraging independence, and embracing unplanned time.