Hello, Mama,

Let’s join hands and sing together in our best rock-star voice, “School’s out for summer!” Oh, yes, that is music to my ears. I don’t know about you, but this last month was a rollercoaster of emotions: constant complaining, negotiating, battling, whining, and lots of tears shed. But, enough about me. Let’s take a moment to celebrate our kids who made it through another school year and the amazing humans on earth, their teachers, who helped us all get through this final school season without a complete, emotional breakdown. One more time for the people in the back row, let’s say it together, “THANK YOU, TEACHERS!!”

Honestly, summer can be bittersweet when it comes to school-aged children at home. In the past, I would turn to KCFM as the bible of choosing summer camps for my daughters. They are four years apart, so signing them both up together was fun for them and a lifesaver for me. But these days, my daughters are teenagers and my son is seven, so there isn’t a “one-size fits all” camp scenario that works for them. The girls want to “hang out” with their friends. (Important note: do NOT ever say “play” with their friends to a teenager, or it will result in a roll of the eyes followed by a “Seriously, mom?” which then will cause you to respond with, “Really, I invented the eye roll” and it just goes down hill from there!).

Sorry, I digress. As I was saying, the girls want to hang out with friends and my boy wants to watch YouTube all day, so our summers become more about a careful balance between not allowing my children to turn into stinky, non-showered, couch potatoes versus sending them to sleep away camp for 3 months (do those camps really exist? Asking for a friend). No matter what your plans are for June, July & August, here’s my best practice to do summer like a boss! From this mama to you, my secret sauce is to follow the 3 R’s: read, write, and rest (nope, no arithmetic here, save that for the school year).

Read: Reading really is a gift that keeps on giving. Oh, how I love to listen to my seven-year-old read Junie B. Jones chapter books to me, just like his big sisters used to. There are many great summer reading programs, including the OG in our community at the Kern County Library. Sign up your child, set some time to read together and check out some books for yourself, too. Reading is always an adventure, so have fun with it!

(W)rite: When I was growing up, my dad would give me book reports to do over the summer. While I hated it back then, I’m so glad that he did. My take on this idea is to make it even more fun by encouraging your child to write a storybook with you! Create the characters and the setting, and let the plot just flow. Take turns writing a page each week and make it a game. At the end of summer, you will find that you both enjoyed the journey in creating your own story together.

Rest: This is a no-brainer. We all need time to rest from the routine of early morning wake-ups and racing off to school. Give your kids some time to take a break from the regular routine. Maybe it’s sleeping in or maybe it’s staying in pjs on some days. Or maybe it’s allowing them to be creative with their own activities. Whatever you choose, give yourself some grace to put down the rulebook over summer and get some much-needed R&R.

So, whether you are planning a family vacation, staycation, or just trying to make the best of June, July & August, try the 3 R’s to help you stay the course. Here’s to an awesome summer, Mama! Make new memories. Enjoy the sunshine. Take time to be present with your kids. And, go schedule some “play” with your friends, too. (Just don’t use that word around your teenagers).