Quality summer family time usually doesn’t just happen. You’ve likely found that to be true during a previous summer.
As summer drew near, you had all of these plans of the memorable, fun things you’d do with your family. However, before you knew it, school was starting again.
As you looked back over your summer, you were crazy busy and productive. No one could argue with that.
Yet you were a bit bummed that you didn’t get to spend more time with your family.
The good news is that it’s high summer again–the perfect time to make sure that summer with your family doesn’t slip away. Here are three ideas about how to maximize your summer family time this year.
Schedule Your Summer Family Time
Yes, to some that may sound rigid. But it’s the best way to make sure that things happen like you want.
You don’t need to have a Type A personality to make a plan as a family and stick with it. And doing so can be a lot of fun.
Get your whole family involved. You can communicate together about what your vacation budget is and what you hope to do while on vacation, for instance.
Also, consider your staycation tactics. Whether or not you plan to take an official vacation this summer or not, think of fun things you can do together at home, too.
Good staycation question possibilities include what are a reasonable amount of times to go walking, swimming, fishing, shopping, or to a ballgame?
By scheduling your summer ahead of time, you give your entire family something to look forward to. You’ll also be able to make sure that work doesn’t leach into your family time so much.
Be There in Mind with Your Family
Maximizing your family time this summer is about more than doing all the right things. A lot of families do that but still miss the point.
They’re on vacation and too busy to listen to their child, to make eye contact with their spouse or offer solutions to a family problem.
Right under your nose, there are always greater needs in your family than taking a vacation or endlessly doing fun stuff.
Those activities only find their meaning once the deeper emotional needs of your family are met. For that reason, include ways to meet emotional needs in your summer family time plan.
Maybe you can find one nice thing to say about each other at each meal you eat together.
It also may mean that you limit your electronic device use to be in the “now” with your family.
Being there in body is only half the battle. The other half means fully giving of your mental faculties (often no easy task but achievable). Being there in mind gives meaning to being there in body.
Consider Others When Deciding Summer Family Activities
Your idea of a fun time with your family may be very different from what the rest of your family pictures.
You may think that since you love the idea of roughing it in the wilderness for a week, the rest of your family will also love it.
Or perhaps you don’t mind crowds and would like to “drag” your family along to museums and art exhibits.
One way to ensure that everyone has an enjoyable time is to see what fun looks like from the vantage point of others.
By all means, still schedule things that are important to you. Just remember that your family may view things differently than you and that’s ok.
Summing it Up
It’s more about what you become together as a family this summer than what you do. Sure, plan all you can and do all you can. That’s great!
And after you’ve done all that, remember what matters most: Your care for each other.
Suzanne Gelb Ph.D., JD does a great job of communicating this very thing in her Psychology Today article entitled, “School’s Out: Help Your Child Build Self-Esteem This Summer.”
“Laugh with your children,” says Gelb. “Make your home a happy, safe and encouraging place … where “being you” is a good thing to be!”
Need a boost this summer when it comes to maximizing your family togetherness? You can schedule an appointment with Therapy With Compassion and get the extra support you need!