SUMMER!!!!!! How I love summer!!!
Since I was a kid, summer was a time to explore, to rest, to build, create, push some limits, dare, create new friendships and so much more….
As a parent, this is the time I let my kids BE. We have no schedules, I make NOT ONE LUNCHBOX, we see friends, we do not see friends, we are together, we are alone….sun, water, movies, ice cream, with everyone, totally alone and in sacred solitude …….MAGIC ALL AROUND!!!!
One of the things I like to explore the most with my kids during summertime is the ART OF BEING ALONE. That is, all year round, even if you LOVE your friends dearly, you have no choice; you must be with them; you ARE with them!!!! At school, enrichments….anywhere…together, together, together!
In summer, you get to CHOOSE. And while I’m all about kinships, sisterhoods and community (enjoyed a super special one last night), the art of solitude is such a super power in my opinion, that I’ve been taking summers as a parent, to instill that in my kids’ core.
My message is: Be Alone!!! Not Lonely, just alone. Be with your friends and enjoy but know how to be alone and grow just as much. Secure and confidant without the “blanket” friends throw over you. Get out there, all on your own; strong, fierce PRESENT ALONE!!!!!
My point of doing this, is realizing early on; as a person, later on as an educator, and then a parent, that the key to dismantle any ATTACHMENTS to friends/clicks, making fear motivated decisions and peer pressure in the future, is in knowing how to do that one special thing – being alone and never feel scared of it!!!!
I used to take my childhood dog on the longest walks with my Walkman (did I just say Walkman and not Apple Watch, AirPods etc…..😜), listening to all my favorite cassettes – from Kate Bush to Tori Amos, The Waterboys, U2, Radiohead, The Cure (my little backpack was full of water and music cassettes). This was my first introduction to MEDITATION and the need for solitude to reset, to replenish, to be ME, to listen to the voice inside……so I can be TOGETHER in the most genuine way!
Summer is magic and a huge catalyst for growth – watch your kiddos doing things they haven’t before, cuz it’s summer! Watch them and cherish every single moment!
If toddlers, watch them “read a book” to themselves for the fist time, falling asleep on the couch, smeared with red chicks, traces of the last popsicle, sleep till 11am even when they are only 9, cuz you worked their bodies and spirits the day before (my daughter the other day), eat all the “vacation food”, as my kids call it, you typically don’t allow….BE…..BE….BE……SUMMATIME ❤️
. I’m sure soon enough, you would too…). I do hope you enjoy it and if it ever gets you through the day, drop a comment and let me know.