07/19/2024
What a gift it is to give your kids a slow, carefree summer.
A summer without plans or obligations or stress. A summer that is free to be sluggish and simple and sweet and full of thick, humid promise.
There is nothing boring about waking up to a day full of endless possibilities.
There is nothing mundane about unstructured play, outdoor exploration, or imaginary games.
There is nothing wrong with letting this summer be what it will be, with stepping back and seeing the magic that comes from ordinary, everyday moments.
This summer, let your kids savor homemade chocolate chip cookies with Grandma and unstructured play with their cousins.
Let them get lost in the stories they tell on the sidewalk in colorful chalk.
Let them dance around a green, dewy lawn on a sleepy July morning, or scamper across the grass at dusk to the tune of crickets and frogs.
Let them pull clothes from the closet and put on fashion shows, dress Barbies and dolls, march toy soldiers across constructed battle fields, and shovel dirt and rocks with bulldozers.
Let them make mud pies and mysterious potions.
Let them shriek as they chase each other through sprinklers and splashpads.
Let them hang from the monkey bars and climb trees and build forts with pillows in the living room.
Let them eat their weight in popsicles and change outfits constantly and have snacks for dinner most nights.
Let them savor a simple ice cream cone on a hot day as much as they would a five-course meal.
Let them get their feet rough and dirty and callused, and watch the freckles sprout across their cheeks.
Let them curl up on the couch, hair still damp from the pool, and read through the haze of the afternoon.
Let them slip into soft comfy sheets after a long day of sun and play as fireflies dance with the stars.
And let go of the guilt, friends.
Because you are giving your kids something truly incredible, something they can never replace, or get back.
The gift of a slow, carefree summer.
And when they look back as adults, these will be the summers they long for—the freedom and joy of a time in which they had no burdens to carry, no bills to pay, no job to worry about . . . except to simply be a kid.
What an absolute gift it is to have a slow, carefree summer.
Knowing these were the moments in which they were really and truly free.