This Summer, I Made No Plans for the Kids

This Summer, I Made No Plans for the Kids- No vacation plans, signed up for zero camps, and tossed any out of the daily routine ideas out the window. Making no plans doesn’t mean no fun, but this year’s summer break is going to incorporate more rest and relaxation, and more time at home enjoying each other!

It’s summer and I made no plans for my kids. There, I admitted it, it’s out in the open, go ahead and judge me. Although I feel like the weight of a Mack truck was pulled off of my shoulders, I am not afraid of the “oh no” and the “why not?” accompanied by the looks of pity over my perfectly normal kids anymore. I will go ahead and own it. There will be no S.T.E.M or enrichment camps, no Vacation Bible Schools, no summer school program or anything of the like around here. This summer we will rest, and we will rest so good.

My 15-year-old stepson will be going on vacation with his mom for a week, other than that we will be chillin’, relaxin’, chillaxin’ and everything in between. Sure there may be the spontaneous weekend trip to San Diego, or some other local-ish spot, but I assure you that there is nothing planned ahead of time. We are not counting down the days until we leave for (fill in the blank), or until sleep-away camp starts, or until the kids get to head out to Grandma’s for a few weeks.

To me, the start of summer signifies so much more than pre-outlined activities, checking things off of the bucket list, and squeezing in as much fun in the sun as humanly possible.

All of these are good things, they can be great things actually. But too much of a good thing can be, well..too much!

When I was a kid growing up in the 80’s, this time off was the ultimate reward for working hard all school year. It meant staying up late, sleeping in, running in the sprinklers, bike rides to the corner market, beach days, t.v. time, video games, backyard picnics, sometimes having nothing to do at all. More importantly,  there were absolutely NO CARES WHATSOVER! Sure, I attended the occasional VBS, and took trips on some years, but mostly summer was a good ol’ fashioned sabbatical, and I loved every second of it.

This season isn’t all lazy days, there is plenty of work too.

My 9-year-old plays baseball most of the year, so there are still weekly practices and weekend tournaments. Depending on far we go in All-Stars, this could mean baseball season could go well into July. That is a lot of exertion for someone on their “break”. And although I said I didn’t sign them up for any camps, I may have fibbed there. Baseball camp is a week-long at the end of summer.  Yes, it’s a camp, but technically not a lie, since simply put, it’s the most fun my kid can ever experience, ever. Plus I consider it a small extension to the almost year-long baseball season. Chores don’t go away, church is still a weekly occurrence too.

Yes, there is a possibility that they may get bored.

In addition to recreating my childhood summers, I will give my kiddos plenty of time to relax. Without the pressures of school for 3 months, kids get a chance to just be kids. I like that. I want them to take some time to enjoy the simple things in life, take a breather, and soak in some well deserved down time. Even if that means gasp, being bored from time to time.

When it’s time to head back to school, they will not be any more or less prepared than any other kid. I strongly believe that kicking the school year off will a clear head can be an asset. They will be craving the structure that summer lacked, and be ready to tackle what the new grade has to offer.

Whether at a camp or enrichment program, or lying on the comfort of cool grass on a hot night staring at a million stars, everyone will have made great memories to last a lifetime.

So it’s summer and I made no plans for my kids.  They will rest up, they will have clear heads, and yeah, they will still have an awesome summer!