The buzz around town these days is all about summer camps and recreational programs for kids. Summer is just around the corner and the anxiety is actually palpable as I hear parents asking each other what they have their children registered in. Is it good? Have you done it before? Is there any space left? How much does it cost? And... "I can't be alone with my kids all summer!"
We've all been there to some degree, a slight sense of desperation permeating everything we say and do when faced with a slate of days both unstructured and ostensibly unending. I used to be one of those moms. I can relate. It's a sense of panic one can't easily shake - but it can be done.
This year I can truthfully say I'm looking forward to the summer holidays. It will be days of easy mornings - despite the fact that my girls have yet to learn to sleep past 7 a.m., packed picnic lunches and extra snacks while meeting friends at beaches from Porteau Cove to Furry Creek to all the local lakes. We'll make day trips when the weather is sunny and we have plans for building forts in the forest and hunting for toadstools and fairies when it's soggy.
The key to a successful summer holiday is rhythm and mindful scheduling. Book-ending our busy-ness with slow, easy mornings, reliable family dinners and consistent bedtimes will make all the difference for our four- and six-year-old. For families with older children, or kids with a wide spread of ages, different planning is most certainly necessary but success is just as achievable.
This is exactly what I have kept in mind when planning Squamish's next Simplicity Parenting workshop "A Simple Summer" (Saturday, June 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.). It's about discovering how to simplify, and connecting your parenting style with your values. Moms and dads will learn to balance spontaneous adventures with reliable rhythm and at the same time enhance the loving connection within the family.
Most specifically it's meant to keep everyone sane over the two months of having the kids around the house 24/7. Parents will walk away with a plan along with small yet transformative doable changes to weave into the family fabric, each individually tailored so they work for you.
Kim John Payne writes in Simplicity Parenting that balancing the frenetic energy of a busy morning with a calm afternoon is what is needed for very young families. Those with older children benefit from sandwiching two or three "up" days with a couple "down" days. It's all about the balance.
When these principles are embraced, the sort of chatter we hear in the parking lot at drop-off or when connecting with other parents on the sports field can easily transform from dread into excitement and joy about the pending summer holidays. I'm looking forward to hearing more of you amazing parents say you can't wait for school to be out with just as much enthusiasm as your kids!
Kirsten Andrews' next Simplicity Parenting workshop A Simple Summer takes place Saturday (June 9). Visit www.SeaToSkySimplicityParenting.com and Facebook for more information or email her at [email protected] to register.
