Silly Summers: Why Having Fun With Your Kids Matters More Than Clean Floors

I saw a post the other day from an Instagram mother who made the comment that she didn’t know how she was going to keep her floors white now that her kids are on summer break. It was posted alongside a picture of a pristine and perfect kitchen.

Ummm, what?

I couldn’t relate.

For one thing, my kitchen floors are never pristine and two, I loved summer break with my kids!

It seems that moms are divided into two camps when it comes to summer.

Camp A is relieved that all the scheduling, paperwork and homework that comes with having kids in school is over for the year.
Camp B can’t wait for the NEXT school year to start so they can get back into the rhythm they’ve created to keep their homes running smoothly.

You all know me well enough by now to guess which camp I belong to. I celebrate letting go of schedules, time crunches, homework, and “have-to’s”. I love lazy days and relaxed kids.

I should mention that there was a hard and fast rule in our house; if you say you’re bored, you will be assigned a chore. No exceptions. My kids learned that lesson quickly. They became skilled at inventing things to do. That doesn’t mean that mom won’t need to step in once in a while though.

Because here’s the thing, summer should mean being a kid again for moms too!

Here are some ideas to get started:

Buy popsicles from the ice cream man. They’re more expensive but it’s so much fun.
Have a water gun or water balloon fight. The kids love it when you join in!
Eat pancakes for dinner. Top them with summer berries.
Pick berries at a farm and bake something with them together.
Set up a campsite in the backyard. Camp overnight or just use the tent for a summer fort.
Search for four leaf clovers in the yard or at a park.
Stay up late watching old movies. Introduce your kids to your childhood favorites.
Blow bubbles or play hide and seek in the dark.
Ride bikes together.
Make daisy or dandelion chains.
Create silly hair-dos and then take pictures.
Roll down a grassy hill.
Run through the sprinkler.
Order funny books from the library and read them together.
Write and illustrate your own books and read them to each other.
Bake cookies and then ding-dong-ditch them at your neighbor’s front door.
Draw pictures and send them to your faraway relatives.
Make funny movies with costumes. Have a viewing party.

Your kids will always remember that mom got silly with them and they will love it. There are times though when you will need a break, and moms do deserve one.

Trade a few hours of babysitting with a friend.
Meet another family at a restaurant with a play yard.
Give your kids a list of “money jobs” to do. Sit back while they do them.
Have a coffee date with an understanding friend.
Invest in a pool and sit in the shade lifeguarding with an iced tea.
Put on a classic movie, spread a blanket on the floor and let your kids eat lunch and watch it.
Make a quiet time rule. Every afternoon kids need to lay on their beds and read for an hour.
And if you just can’t let go of a clean house, enlist your kids and make it fun.

My kids and I used to time ourselves to see how fast we could put laundry away. We had so much fun doing it. Kids were running everywhere, yelling and bumping into each other. It made a boring chore doable. Lots of chores can be done this way. My son still remembers me singing the jeopardy song while he raced to put underwear away.

Life is about balance, isn’t it? And balance can be hard to find. With a little effort though, even if you’re a pristine house mama, you can find joy in the summer. Get silly with your kids and they will remember it forever. Spend your time stressing over clean floors and they will remember that forever.

I hope these ideas help to remind you that summer isn’t just for kids. And no matter which camp you belong to, I pray for you to have the very best of summers!

Children are a heritage from the Lord,
offspring a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their opponents in court.

Psalm 127:3-5