I’m toying with the idea of giving my children a “free” summer. That means, not signing them up for programs like summer school or tutoring. When the kids were little, I’d give them free summers, but got burned and burnt out. By the end of summer, we’d end up with irregular bedtimes, poor habits, and behaviors, mouthy children, spending the end of summer immersed in electronics. All of us.
This is a bit risky being that they are in public school and got very little in-school instruction or socialization this Covid year. Our electronics time went from two hours a day on screens to three hours a day and Sundays off screens. Our (ok mines) waistline has grown, staying home most days we’ve become lazy and extra introverted. Two of our family members have back issues from this sedentary lifestyle.
We just need a freakin break from screens, to get outdoors, and enjoy life away from our computers, phones and tablets. However, let’s be realistic, I just don’t know if I have the stamina to provide the structure. I’m not one of those well-organized moms who print out pretty calendars and plans events and activities, which my children look forward to. My children never wanted to learn from me, though I’m trained to teach them. It just causes strife. They don’t want to leave the house either, so every outing comes with complaints. When they were little, leaving the house resulted in meltdowns due to the anxiety of a new event. Now they got the tween and teen thing going on too. This has resulted in a “forced” weekly activity that gets us out to the house for fun. Even my husband needs nudging. Most of the time, we have fun.
The pressure is mounting. Every year the summer program registrations come out, just about this time and I feel the pressure to sign up for something, while my super organized friend has this all covered, plus works full-time to support her family of seven! We do the dance, I ask if they want to sign up for this or that, then get a big fat, resounding no!
So this year, I’ve made it up to my girls to come up with a summer proposal that incorporates some reading, learning, and outdoor fun (required activities) non-screen time hours, and a solution to solving the “get off of electronics” banter. I’m setting the guidelines in advance and we will see if they can solve their problems and mines. They want a free summer, and I want summer fun, some bonding, and screen-free time! If anything it’s a lesson in problem-solving, an essential skill for success in life.