Funny how, the closer we are to something, the greater grows the impatient itch to get to it.
Take, for instance, these last few months, or mere weeks, of school left before summer vacation kicks in. I’m sitting here, practically chomping at the bit, exercising extreme self-control to prevent myself from screaming, “Come on, sweet vacay, bring it on!”
(I am realizing just now, with a start, that I’ve actually been measuring my days by the school calendar of my kids. When did that happen, and does that happen to you, too? I can’t even tell you how fidgety I get thinking of school vacation just around the corner… and I haven’t been a student for eons. Strange, that! Or maybe not, if you’re a parent of school-age kids, for whom overseeing homework and making last-minute trips to the bookstore to buy required project supplies are all par for the course in the day’s routines). But I digress, so let’s get back on track. Two words: Summer. Vacation.
Are you, like me, one of those people whose huge grins reflect pure joy at not having to go through a pile-up of cars filled with other anxious parents struggling to get their kids to school on time despite the traffic snarl? The ones who welcome each day with barely-repressed chants of “No homework to oversee today! No project supplies to buy! No sandwiches to pack for recess!” The ones who – after gleefully celebrating freedom from homework deadlines, PTA meetings and school programs – sit down, realize we face two entire months of having the kiddos in our faces 24/7, and say, “Okay, now what?”
It’s an important question to ask, actually. Because summer vacation needs to be filled with activities for the kids as well, lest they glue their faces to their gadgets till we say “Time to turn that off!”… which is their cue to turn to us and say, “Mom, I’m bored.” (By the way, those three words are banned from my house. My kids know that if they say that, they’re going to be whooshed away into a whole flurry of activity that will make them rue the day they dared to imagine they were bored).
Seriously, though, vacation also gives us a great excuse to take the time to enjoy a little rest and recreation with our miniature versions before they turn into adults who’d rather spend the day with their friends than hang out with us. And so I highly recommend coming up with a master list of Things to Do This Summer. I’ve come up with mine, and I’ll share with you if you’ll share yours with me, too. (After all, two – or two hundred – heads are better than one, right?)
1. Explore games from your childhood
Introduce your kids to the wonder of low-tech games, the ones they probably never even heard of. Teach them to throw their rubber flip-flop at a recycled can in a game of Kick the Can. Show them you can still let those legs work by playing “step-no-step-yes” (the local version of hopscotch). Pick a couple of gumamela flowers, crush them with a stone from the garden, mix with dishwashing soap, and blow bubbles from twisted-wire bubble canes. And as you introduce them to the pleasures of these “old-time” games, don’t forget to regale them with stories from your childhood. I promise you – and mind, my conviction comes from experience – that they’ll listen raptly to your trip down memory lane with open-mouthed amazement.
2. Go on an adventure together
Go on a weekend road-trip to a faraway town or visit a nearby restaurant that you and your child have never been to before. Distance doesn’t matter; discovery does. Be tourists and snap photos and ask questions. Fill your hearts with the delight of exploring a new place together.
3. Learn something new together
It could be rock-climbing, it could be white-water rafting, it could be crocheting, it could be baking, it could be planting a vegetable garden. It could be wildly adventurous or comfortably tame, anything really, as long as it’s something you and your child agree you’d like to learn together. Granted, some activities might earn an eye-roll or a groan (as much from your kid as from you), but in case that happens, a small amount of cajoling should do the trick. A moment spent wheedling or being wheedled is a tiny price to pay for the joy of learning something new together… and best of all, you can discover you suck at it and it’ll still be totally worth it because you did it together!
4. Be crafty
Buy a pair of cheap white sneakers and design them with fabric paint. Collect photos of past vacations and make a shared scrapbook. Draw with old crayons on a few sheets of sandpaper, turn that over an old t-shirt and iron the back of the sandpaper then watch your newly-designed t-shirt come to life. Pablo Picasso said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Well, here’s a great way to jog that sleeping artist in us while supporting the existing one in our child. Art is so much fun because there’s no way to make a mistake. Even the imperfections are perfect!
5. Show and Tell
Bridge the generation gap with the fun of Show and Tell. Trade stories: tell your kid about your childhood exploits and listen to him tell you about his. Listen to her favorite bands then let her listen to yours. Laugh over the corny expressions you and your friends used as kids and ask her to explain the slang expressions they use these days (bonus: you’ll actually understand their conversations with their friends instead of wondering where they learned to speak Greek). Then as you trade these “Your time vs. my time” stories, you’ll happily discover that some things are blessedly immune from generation gaps: music heals and celebrates, whether it’s our Sting or their Beyonce. Emotional support and encouragement will always be fortifying, whether it’s expressed as “awesome” (your words) or “sick” (theirs). And hugs, given in whatever language, are universally heartwarming and precious.
6. Do summer cleaning together
Because it’s a great way to get physically fit (all that scrubbing and bending and dusting!) and get the house spick and span at the same time. Plus they get to learn life lessons in home management and cleanliness maintenance as well. Win-win! Hooray!
7. Chill together
Go to the bookstore and get yourselves a new book. Have a mani/pedi with her. Drive to the top three burger joints with him and check if the taste-test ratings of friends were spot on. Lounge on garden chairs sipping iced tea or do a television-series marathon while snacking on popcorn. Learn how wonderful it can be to simply be with each other.
There are tons of other activities that you can surely think of. Though my list is in no way exhaustive, as we wade through the hot summer days with our kids, I’m pretty sure we’ll all discover even more things to do together. It doesn’t really matter exactly what we do together, as long as we’re finding time to spend with each other in relaxed, joyful, stress-free moments. Because it’s really all about making the most of the opportunity to spend summer moments together, creating memories that we and our kids can look back on one day with a smile… and share forward with the next generations to come.
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