VM Voices: 18 Summers
We get 18 Summers with our kids. Sure, if you’re lucky, you may get a few more. Maybe they won’t move away right after high school or maybe they’ll come home every summer while they’re in university. But on average, you’ll get 18 Summers with your kid. Let that sink in for a minute…
Think back to your favourite childhood summer memories. What do you remember most? Sunshine, bike riding with your friends, staying up late to watch movies with your family: those are the types of things that memories are made of.
All those little moments that seem so inconsequential at the time, those are the moments that define us. And those are the moments our kids will remember, the moments that will shape their childhood memories.
So think about that this summer. When you get caught up in making plans and figuring out schedules, take a step back and think about what you want to get out of the next couple of months. Do the things you normally don’t have time for, the little things that make summer special. Decide how you want to shape these summer memories for your kids, and for yourself.
You’ve got 18 Summers.
- Build sand castles.
- Stay up late to watch the fireworks.
- Sit by the river.
- Eat ice cream before dinner.
- Pick flowers.
- Go on adventures.
- Run through sprinklers.
- Make popsicles.
- Watch a local baseball game.
- Let your kids go crazy with the face paints … on your face!
- Look for shooting stars.
- Sing (loudly!) on road trips.
- Have water fights.
- Play those messy games like Pie Face that you normally try to hide in the back of the closet.
- Spend lazy mornings in your pajamas.
- Paint bird houses.
- Get dirty.
- Go fairy hunting.
- Eat dinner outside.
- Go down the scary waterslide.
- Say ‘yes’ as often as you can.
You’ve got 18 Summers. Make them count.
Amy Beeman is mom to twins Sam and Lucy. She is also a VM Top 30 Blogger, Leading Moms speaker and radio personality.
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