This July, I am trying to avoid joy-killing realities, like:
- Whiny children.
- Caregiving coverage that is erratic or unstructured.
- Inflexible or uncontrollable work demands.
- Differing beliefs about what is actually "fun”.
- Unspoken or unrealistic expectations.
- Schedules that don't all slow down at the same time.
- One person's needs getting prioritized over all others.
- Being mistaken for Dobby the house elf (IYKYK)
When my kids were little, I was so exhausted by summer - it honestly did not feel fun.
But gradually, my husband and I learned to be more intentional, flexible and communicative about our needs and expectations -- we experimented, adapted and dumped what wasn't working. We created plans that would work for the whole family.
When we began to think of "summer" as a big important family project that needs considerable planning and compromise, we began to establish priorities, coordinate schedules, clarify expectations and then adjust, as needed... and, things got better.
Many of those tactics helped us (the parents) to get much needed personal recovery time over the busy summer weekends.
And now that we have teens, coordination and compromise is even more important, and thankfully we have a way to navigate this new season of our family's life.
Anyway, I wish you some good fun and good rest this summer.
p.s. Download the free summer planning guide below or read here about how our WORST VACATION EVER turned into a gift.
