The Fourth of July is always a fun part of summer. Shooting fireworks, relaxing with friends, block parties, picnic food and everything red, white and blue.
After the plastic plates are thrown away and the fireworks shrapnel is swept up out of the street, beware of the Fourth of July panic.
This devastating ailment occurs unexpectedly when parents realize that summer is basically half over. Gasp! I can almost hear the panicked thoughts racing through the minds of moms everywhereâŠWhat have we accomplished this summer? Have we done all of the fun things on our summer bucket list? Have the kids read any meaningful books? HelpâIâm not prepared to start looking through backpacks and learning Geometry yet!
Donât let the panic paralyze you! You still have about five weeks left before school starts, and a lot of fun, relaxing and sleeping-in can be done in five weeks.
Plan It!
I am the first person to declare that over-scheduling a summer is the best way to ruin it (I speak from a wealth of experience). We are scheduled up to our eyeballs throughout the school year, so taking a break and simply living life during the summer is a good thingâbut with summer half over it is time to get serious if there are things you really, really want to do. Get out the calendar and set the alarm clock. If you donât, you may regret it because that baseball team you want to watch may be playing out of town, the water park may be closed for the season, or you may run out of free weekends to go to the lake for a picnic.
Think About SchoolâŠJust a Little Bit
I know this sounds like a drag. We gave our kids all of June without having to use their brains, but we donât want the first day of school to come and have them still talking like Spongebob and Patrick. Math and reading are basic areas every child, tween and teen, can work on during the summerâeven if it is just a teensy bit each week. Go to the library or check out free online options (khanacademy.org is my favorite). Be preparedâyour kids will groan and moan and act like you are putting them on death row. Be strong, mom. It will pay off during the school year.
No Such Thing as a Perfect Summer
The world has convinced us that everyone else is having a fabulous summer filled with activities, vacations and wonderful learning opportunities. Donât believe it! Every other family has just as many frustrating days and âIâm boredâ declarations as yours. Donât feel the pressure to have a perfect summer with your family and to accomplish everything you put on your summer to-do list back in the first week of May. Think about your childhoodâwhat do you remember about summer? I remember the county fair, the slip-n-slide, drinking iced tea and watching reruns on TV when it got too hot out in the afternoon. It doesnât get much more perfect than that!
Anne Blankenbiller
K-12 & Teens
Most of my mornings, afternoons, and evenings are spent driving the kids here and thereâand then back to here again. Every child is a gift on loan from God. As parents, our job is to raise that child to be an independent adult who can contribute to the world using the gifts and talents he or she was given. It is hands-down the most important job on earth!
