Let the Summer Memories Begin

signifies the imminent arrival of summer. As a child I looked forward to the summer season, a time when I could hang out with my friends for hours, have fun and make memories. Now, as an adult and a parent, I’m not going to lie, the summer season is giving me a bit of trepidation.

What to do? What to do will all this free time?

Fortunately for me, a couple months back I took the time to map out, schedule and register for activities. Swimming, a few weeks worth of themed day camps, organized sports and tennis camp. Apparently, I signed up for enough activities through Parks and Rec that I qualified for a discount.

Wait, hold on a second. When I was a child, there was none of this scheduling. Summer was a time to be free. My friends and I might head over to the Watsonville High pool for free swim. Or, we might just decide to lounge around or play ball in the street.

I’ve read that hyper-scheduling by parents is running children ragged and can seriously harm their development. Uh oh. OK, what if I sprinkle the activities throughout the summer vacation, with plenty of free time and a priority around fun and nap time?

That sounds like a lot of coordination where the only one running ragged will be me. But who cares about that. Because, guess what? This time of year is about making sure the children look forward to summer. It’s about infusing as much fun as possible into a short amount of time. It’s about the memories.

Put the trepidation aside. Let the summer memories begin.