Summers during childhood are magical. I know I look fondly back on mine even though it wasn’t anything fancy. I’m convinced that my kids will look back on their childhood summers joyfully with little intervention from me. Spending hours outside playing in the sunshine, exercising their wild imaginations, running around, and making sweet memories.
Yes, giving my kids a happy childhood is one of my top priorities, but I’m making an effort to put having a happy motherhood high on the list too. My kids are my biggest joy and it’s a privilege to be their mom. With the weight of the responsibility though, it’s so easy to get bogged down in stress that I can forget to have fun. I’ve written about this a time or two. If you can relate and would like to read more, you can here here and here.
I want so badly to enjoy the carefree magic of summer with my kids that I incorporated some strategies to help. There’s a relaxation technique called grounding, where you engage each of your five senses to support feeling calm and present. I’ve found that intentionally integrating an element from each of the five senses that reminds me of my childhood into our play area inspires the lighthearted freedom I felt as a kid. It helps me let go of the worry and anxiousness to be able to be present and truly enjoy playing with my children.
Here are some things that worked for me. Feel free to give them a try or use them as inspiration to figure out what works for you.
Sound
This was perhaps the easiest sense to figure out. Country music has been playing in the background my entire life, so I created a nostalgic 90s country playlist to really take us back. If 90s country inspires you too, I’m sharing my curated playlist here.
We pack this portable all-weather speaker outside so our soundtrack is playing in the background of all the bike riding and activities. I purchased ours at Costco, but this is the same one and I have been really happy with it.
Touch
Walking around barefooted outside reminds me of my childhood too. The fresh feeling of walking through the cool grass and the relaxing feeling of my feet on warm (but not hot!) cement. We have a cement patio on the east side of our house. It’s shady in the afternoon and I love to sit on the steps with my feet planted on the warm cement.
Sight
From my seat on the patio steps, I can see my kids riding around on their bikes, scooters, wagons, and anything with wheels. Right in the middle of the flurry of activity, I can see it all. My brothers and I used to ride around, back and forth, making laps around the patio.
Smell
Growing up, my grandparents planted petunias everywhere they could. Pots, planters, hanging baskets, they were overflowing everywhere. Petunias aren’t like roses or lilacs, which are known for their fragrances. But petunias do have a distinctive smell, especially if they are everywhere and the breeze is blowing and it always takes me right back to summers at my grandparents’ house. Last summer I filled the planters on my patio with petunias, enough to smell on the breeze.
Taste
Popsicles were the go-to treat of the summer when I was a kid. My kids love popsicles but they are still fairly little and have a hard time eating them before they melt enough to break. Otter Pops have been our solution. Having the treat contained in a tube cuts down on the amount of dropped popsicles and tears.
There’s also an organic version and supplies to make your own at home. There are disposable sleeves to add and freeze your own juice and the reusable version.
These are a few of the things that have helped me transform from a tired mom to a carefree mom and spend some lighthearted time enjoying the summer with my kids. My hope is that this helps you brainstorm some ways to you can reconnect with your inner child too and create more summer memories that you can look back with fondness in 30 years. It’s not too late for us; we can still have fun. I promise!
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If you enjoyed this post, you might enjoy these other posts written for the theme “Time.”
For Such a Time as This by Sharla Hallett
Time to Pivot to Your Summer Rhythm – Tips for Creating an Intentional & Relaxed Summer by Lisa Crowder
The Most Valuable Time by Ashley Olivine
Simple Is Better – When Time Doesn’t Stand Still by Dianne Vielhuber
