One thing I’ve noticed with summer is first, this season is something we look forward to. Then, we become overwhelmed with it.
Overwhelmed with the kids.
Overwhelmed with the activities.
Overwhelmed with the late nights.
Overwhelmed with feeling so drained.
And I get it. Summer comes in at a rapid pace, like stepping onto a treadmill that is already on at a running pace when you are ready to walk, and sometimes you feel like you fall flat on your face.
We pack it with activities. We want our kids to have fun. We want to enjoy family experiences. We want to do it all.
But then by the end of summer a parent is often heard muttering, “I cannot wait until these kids are back in school.”
Let’s take a step back and truly look at what created this overwhelm—or should I say “who”. I don’t want this to sound like a lecture at all, because I think all of us moms are guilty of this when trying to create the best childhoods for our children, and I truly believe activities are important for them. However, I also believe that kids do not have to participate in everything.
Your kid doesn’t have to do swimming lessons, summer camps, baseball, sports camps, summer sports teams, VBS, and everything else just to “keep up” with everyone else. Just to please culture in participating in the scheduled rat race.
Your child simply needs to keep up with the things that they love most. The things that make them excited. The things they want to work hard at.
Have you ever witnessed your child light up and be okay with challenging themselves to improve because they actually LOVE what they are doing?
Sometimes it takes trial and error until you land on that exact thing, but when you do—you’ll know it. Then it is worth investing time, energy, and effort into. Otherwise, you are just filling up a calendar with a mad rush of things no one really cares about.
Don’t let summer overwhelm you. Don’t let the “soccer mom” vibe pull you down. Because the truth is when you are shuffling your kids around to things they love—you are helping them get to the things that fulfill purpose and not just something that fills time.
Busyness isn’t always bad when busy has intention.
So, in your busy summer schedule—look over it and see what busy is good and what busy is just a distraction from the good.
