The warm weather is finally here, and I don’t know about you, but the Scott family has been more than ready for summer. The long days, picnics in the yard and sleeping outside — we love it all. 

Even so, transitioning from the school year to the summer schedule is a big change, and change can bring its own challenges. That’s why I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to mark the change of seasons. When we neglect this important practice, even adults get fussy! 

So what do I mean? For our family, we have a special breakfast, usually around Memorial Day, when we are intentional about about expressing our gratitude for the season we are coming out of, and then we go over some expectations about what is to come. Kids need clarity, which makes it so important for us as parents to lay out what summer will look like.

For us, summer is my busiest season for work, so even though my kids are home more, I need them to know I have to work certain hours. In past summers, we told our girls that we would be spending a lot of hours at the baseball field, and we wanted them to plan ahead so they could bring something along, have fun, and not complain. :)

I’m also talking about more than scheduling expectations. What do you want from this summer? What do your spouse and kids desire? If you want a laid back summer, that’s great; but if you aren’t intentional, it won’t happen. If your work schedule is the same, and your kids are signed up for activities every week, you likely won’t achieve an easy breezy summer. :) 

This is the key: you have to plan for what you want. Even if your goals are to be laid back — plan that out!

On the Encourager Resource page, I have a Summer Bucket List that you can download and print for free, and use it as a tool to hear what your kids have on their list. And it can be simple! Our girls like to sleep everywhere possible — the club house, the Barbie area, the trampoline, the tent, you name it. As a mom, this is a cheap and easy way to make them happy!

To sum it up, I encourage you to mark the change of season, and be intentional with your summer. 

Onward and upward!
Bekah