In my recent article – “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” http://leslittles.com/?s=The+most+wonderful+time+of+the+year, I gave tips for parents to celebrate the kids going back to school. If you liked my humorous suggestions – I stand by them. If you didn’t – I still think they were hilarious! But, seriously, within a short period of time, you’ll probably be feeling like you didn’t get to spend enough great time with them savoring summer days. Let’s talk about some ways to get every last moment of love in before fall.
The key is to decide in advance that this time has a purpose and you’re going to put everything else aside to give the kids a great memory to take with them to school. Start planning now to get your schedule cleared (or plan to ignore anything you won’t finish in time) so that you can be fully present on your mini-vacation.
Savoring summer with your kids
- If you can squeeze it in and want to go out on a high note, take advantage of the long Labor Day weekend and take a trip. With a little planning, you can find an inexpensive hotel/motel room, hostel, cabin or cottage and stretch it out to 2 days or more. The kids won’t know they’re on a bargain vacation and they’ll love it.
- If you’re on a stricter budget, there are probably lots of destinations near you for easy day trips. Try places that you’ve been meaning to get to but never found the time. Involve your children in the excitement of discovery by asking them for ideas.
- Try completely new things. Walk in a forest. Kayak or canoe down a stream (usually in a forest too). Visit a historical site. Go sightseeing in your own city. Try different restaurants.
- Find a volunteer project that the whole family can participate in. Anything that involves helping other kids is a great (and humbling) lesson for the littles that they won’t forget.
- If, for any reason, none of these will work – take the simplest path, which may be the best. Curl up in comfy clothes and just be together. The worse the weather is, the better to introduce them to movies you watched as a kid. Read together. Look at old photo albums. Tell them real-life stories about your life, how you grew up, where you lived, what you did for fun.
In short, just take every opportunity you can to love them. Your time and attention is the best way to savor your last moments of summer – together.
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