 Summer is around the corner - two of my kids are done with school for the year, and the other two will be done in just a few days. Maybe you’re on top of everything and have each day planned down to the minute, or maybe you’ve got your head in the sand hoping that the school will keep your kids for another month or two! Wherever you find yourself, there’s no better time than right now to think about how you want your summer to feel and what you want it to look like.
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 Do you have any family reunions or large gatherings planned for the summer?
My family of origin is fairly small so our gatherings aren't huge. But the words "family reunion" make me picture large boisterous groups of distantly related people along with lots of noise, games, food and stimulation. My husband's side of the family is big and we have plans to attend a large family gathering soon. My kids will be meeting many distant family members for the first time! It makes me mindful of my four kids and their unique personalities and responses to different environments. I can picture some of my kids jumping right into the unknown territory and having a blast. I can also picture some of my kids feeling very overwhelmed by the noise, the unfamiliar people and the uncertain time frames. If you have a child who's sensitive, shy, easy overwhelmed, or tends towards feeling anxious then here are a few things that could help you set your family up for more successful reunions.
*go visit the animal shelter or pet store *make a bird feeder with a milk jug and some duck tape *make a summer journal with a daily question or topic *write and illustrate a comic book *make mini figures out of clay and add them to your house plants *visit the farmers market and buy something you've never tried before *run through the sprinkler *make a hopscotch board (It's really fun to play hopscotch on a trampoline if you have one! Use chalk to make the hopscotch board) *paint rocks *sit outside for 10 minutes and record the types of birds you see, use a bird book to find their names *make a summer art project on a large sheet of paper that you can add to throughout the summer *try out an oldie but goodie like a jump rope, hula hoop, skip ball or kids' pogo stick *make a bike obstacle out of chalk on the driveway *make an obstacle course in the yard or at the park *give your kids a scavenger hunt for the yard, or on a family walk (taking photos of the objects is a fun addition) Share your fun ideas with us here! Summer success planning:I personally have grappled with the start of summer for years now.
On one hand I think of summer as this magical time of fun, connection and happy memory building. On the other hand, I start to worry about this big transition and change of structure for my kids. How do I balance the right amount of activities with the need for downtime? What about behavioral challenges? How can I use good communication with the other adults involved (co-parent, grandparents etc) to make this summer successful? Check out this recorded webinar on Summer Success Planning for Parents and Grandparents. https://livestouchedcoaching.podia.com/summer-success-planning-for-parents-and-grandparents It will help you get the ball rolling on finding the right summer structure for your family, communication between adults, and behavioral challenges. Use the coupon code SUMMER2023 to get 10% off all products Wishing you a joyful summer!
I want to invite you to join me in the "Phone Down Challenge" for two weeks. Phone away for one hour a day Here's what it looks like: *Put your phone down for one hour in the afternoon when you're with your child/ children Sounds simple, but we know it is likely to be hard. Stick with me. When: an ideal time to do the phone down challenge is when you reconnect with your kids after school or after your work day. If your kids are home with you all day, choose an hour, maybe after quiet time. Practical tips: *turn the phone to silent if possible or use a "focus" setting, allowing calls from only your key contacts *put the phone out of sight so you're not distracted by it Benefits: *create new patterns *increased connection with your kids *a chance for your mind to focus on just one thing, rather than multi-tasking *increased peace and decreased frazzled feelings *modeling for your kids You've probably heard many times that we are more "connected" to others now than at any other time in history, YET people are feeling more alone. This isn't just a cute saying, "more connected, yet more alone", it's real. It's happening in our homes, as we repeatedly pick up and stare at our phones, rather than give our loved ones our full attention, our loving eye contact, our time and connection. What might we be missing, as we check our social media on the side as our child is telling us about their day, or when we skip sitting down together for a meal or snack so we can get one more thing done on our device? Our kids are learning by our example. It's sort of sad to see a row of parents staring at their phones at a park, rather than interacting with their kids, or a mom feeding her baby while scrolling her phone. Those moments of loving eye contact and connection matter. Our kids will be better equipped to have successful future relationships if we take the time now to show them what healthy connection looks like. Honestly, our phones distract us from doing this. Of course there are lots of great things our phones can do, I'm not suggesting we throw them away. But this challenge is about being more mindful. The benefits of putting the phone down for one hour a day will far out weight the inconvenience. This challenge is for me as well. I can get sucked into the trap of trying to get one more thing done on my phone, and somehow prioritize that, over connecting with my child. I need to be mindful. I hope you will join me. My expectation is that you'll start to see the benefits in these two weeks, and I hope you will want to continue with the Phone Down Challenge. But for now...can you commit to the challenge for two weeks? Click the button and say "I'm in" Here's a quick link to a video about the phone down challenge:
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September 2024
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