Slow Summer
Sometimes when I’m watching my children play outside, I feel nostalgic for them, thinking how they’ll long for these afternoons of nothing and realize they were everything. A breeze blows through the yard and the smell brings me back to my own everything days where all I needed was in my backyard. No days feel more like those than the summer ones.
Summer days were long in a good way. My brothers and I had the freedom to play all day unencumbered by a schedule or too watchful adult gaze. Yes, there was a routine. Of course my mom provided us our meals and our days always ended with a bath and books but what happened in between was up to us.
“Go play outside.” is a phrase I can hear my Dad saying. Although it had roots in practicality for a parent who worked from home, I now see it as a gift to my brothers and me. Therefore, I’m going to attempt to recreate this magical place for my children this summer.
I’m going to determine what parts of our daily routine need to stay consistent so things don’t spiral into utter chaos and where we can bend our daily rituals. Then hopefully they can remember summer as a time of infinite freedom, where everything they really needed was right in front of them.
For us, keeping meal times and bedtimes consistent will be a yes but getting dressed in regular clothes will be optional. So if you see us in our mismatched pjs blowing bubbles and climbing trees, don’t worry, we’re okay. This is just our slow summer style and we’ll get back to our regularly scheduled programming come September.