The story below is from our July/August 2022 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Recapture the joy of summer with some simple house rules and goals, for your kids and yourself.
We are wrapping up the school year right now, though when you read this, we’ll be into the heart (and heat) of summer. It’s been a hectic spring, and in the last few weeks I’ve watched two band concerts, a fourth grade presentation, and attended end of the season tournaments and parties for four sports teams. Like every other family I know, we are ready for a break and the more flexible schedule that summer brings.
The idea of a summer “break” stays with us throughout childhood until we’re post college, or whenever we join the working world, and are rudely expected to work in June, July and August. The idea of a summer off eventually fades into the background, another casualty of growing up.
I transitioned from work life to being a stay-at-home mom, and summer freedom from the preschool schedule wasn’t exactly a welcome change, either. When I had four children under the age of eight, summer became more about survival than enjoyment, and I don’t wish for those days back.
Now that my kids are older, I’m starting to welcome the idea of summer again, and the possibilities it brings for rest and rejuvenation. But to make it a true respite, a real departure from the hustle of the school year, I’ve learned that a little advance planning allows us all to have some freedom within a loose structure. Here’s my summer plan for my kids, which will be hung on the fridge. My kids are 16, 13, 11 and nine, so I recognize some of this isn’t possible with younger children, but sometimes we also do more for them than we should for longer than we should. Steal from it freely if any of it suits:
Rippel House Summer Rules:
- Breakfast and lunch is on you. Make your own, clean it up.
- Family dinner at seven. If you are at work, it will be in the fridge.
- Electronics in the house are paused until two o’clock. In the morning you should eat breakfast, do your chores, summer reading, play outside, meet a friend, etc.
- Use one cup a day for drinks. Keep it on the counter.
- Afternoon TV is in the basement only.
Just five guidelines keep things from getting too chaotic, too noisy and too messy. If they make their own breakfast and lunch, they can eat what they like and I don’t feel like a short order cook. The first two meals of the day can occur on their own schedule, which gives them a feeling of control, while a set dinner time lets everyone know (including my driving teen with a job) what time a hot meal will be ready. Dinner also gives us a chance to gather as a family when we’re able.
Last summer my kids woke up and tried to immediately get on their devices, and I got tired of regulating screen time for each kid. Keeping their devices paused on my Xfinity app makes it easy, and if they don’t start until two, they can’t overdo it as easily. The cup rule might sound like overkill, but I’ve learned that four children can dirty approximately 316 cups in a single day of summer. That is only a slight exaggeration.
And, finally, the afternoon TV rule is for me. The YouTubers they watch have voices that make me want to come out of my skin, so that drivel must be enjoyed on the subterranean level of the house. These rules keep it loose, but not unraveled. And in that structure I can have a summer plan for myself, so I can capture some of that summer feeling I so miss. I plan to unplug, catch up with friends in meaningful ways and move my body.
Here are my plans:
- Read an hour a day. It can be in the middle of the day, when the dishes aren’t done and the house is a mess, or at the end of the day with my feet up on the deck, but I’m making one of the things I love most and don’t do enough of a summer priority.
- Take a break from social media. To find more reading time, I’m deleting Instagram and Facebook for the summer. I don’t need to know where people I went to high school with are vacationing. Instead of scrolling, I plan to call a friend once a week.
- Swim on Sunday nights. I’m on a summer swim team with my kids, and we have an evening adult-only practice on Sunday night. It resets my week to swim in a quiet pool at dusk.
Whatever your house rules and goals, I hope you and your family have a joyful, restful summer.
The story above is from our July/August 2022. For more stories, subscribe today or view our FREE digital edition. Thank you for supporting local journalism!
