Going on vacation with your kids this summer? Here is one advice you cannot forget to pack!

Going on vacation with your kids this summer? The summers always go by so fast!

As parents, we certainly want our children to enjoy their summer break and thus continually find ourselves investing all our energy into planning related logistics (i.e., travel details, summer camps, skill-enhancement opportunities, and engagement in new activities and experiences). This step is undoubtedly important, but without a sense of awareness and reflection regarding what’s truly important to us, summers can easily end up being all about doing rather than connecting and just being. 

This summer, I invite you to invest time into reflecting on the bigger picture: your connection with your children. With an awareness of what is most important to you as a parent, you can create an intentional plan that aligns with your family values and the vision you have for your family—helping you steer clear of the doing trap and the propensity to feel overwhelmed and stressed.

With this in mind, answer the questions below to help create an intentional plan for your summer with the flexibility to focus on what is important to your family. To successfully transform your vision into reality, it’s important to give yourself time for introspection by asking and answering these questions and then executing an action plan that reflects your finding.

What is most important to me this summer?
What do I want my kids to remember? What do I want to remember?
What are my expectations? How do they measure up to my child’s capacities and developmental skills

• Balance activity/rest time with structure & spontaneity; our on-the-go summers can prevent us from savoring the present moment.

• Employ a mindset shift; connect, make memories, and learn with each other while also outlining additional goals such as learning a language/skill, visiting and reconnecting with extended family members living abroad, etc.
  - Play with your children, letting them take the lead (staying curious and interested in their interests)
  - Spend quality time with each child
  - When things get tough, think of these moments as an opportunity to learn together from the experience

• Manage expectations; kids come with a whole lot of unpredictability (getting sick, finding it difficult to manage transitions, etc.). Kids will be kids, siblings will fight, and sudden behavior shifts will undoubtedly occur.

• Take time for yourself, engaging in self-care activities and adult time in the absence of guilt.

As summer is often overwhelming, keeping your intentional plan alive requires mindfulness and a constant need to remind yourself of the important things. After all, how many summers do you have left until your child is not a child anymore? Approaching the upcoming season in this manner will help ground you to focus on what is most important while allowing yourself to let go of control and all the pressures swirling around you. Enjoy!