Your Summer Needs An Adventure Every Day (& Sometimes The Adventure Is "Library")

"“I didn't have to plan anything elaborate or spend a bunch of money - I could just take my toddler to the grocery store and let her pick out a sweet treat, or go through the McDonald's drive-thru and have a park picnic with our nuggets. It all felt so sweet and simple and fun and it suddenly occurred to me: That's still the best way to plan summer.”"

"“But one small plan every day? Something in mind that's going to happen? I truly think it's going to save my summer. Because look, every parent starts out hot at the beginning of summer. We're imagining all of the fun things we can do with our kids, getting excited about building 'core' memories. And then suddenly we're overwhelmed. It's all too much.”"

"“As our kids get older, so many of us worry about how they'll spend their time in the summer. Sure, a trip to Target and then to get ice cream worked for keeping a 3-year-old entertained, but what about big kids? Don't they need camps and tons of enrichment programs and a million playdates with friends?”"

"“Think about your own summers as a kid. What do you remember? Because for me, some of the most memorable moments were things like going to the park at 7 a.m. so we could beat the heat and ride our scooters around. Or piling into the car at 3:00 and having giant ice cream sundaes at Bruster's before dinner.”"

Making summer plans can be as simple as choosing one “adventure” idea each day. Easy outings like grocery store trips, drive-thru treats, or park picnics can feel sweet, simple, and fun. Parents often begin summer excited about building core memories, but quickly become overwhelmed by too many activities. As children get older, worries grow about how they will spend time, leading to assumptions that camps, enrichment programs, and many playdates are required. Memories from childhood often come from small moments such as early park rides, car trips for ice cream, blanket forts during storms, library visits, doughnut runs, and grocery shopping where kids choose dinner.

Read at Scary Mommy