My Summer (un)Bucket List

Last year I made a Summer Bucket List for our family and I think it’s a very good way to be intentional with the short time we have with our children. ?After all, we’ve all seen that meme about how you only get 18 summers with your kiddos. ?#cuethemomguilt

However, the reality is that we mothers already place a TON of expectations on ourselves, that can never be met. ?Right after you hold your child for the first time someone should be handing out a pamphlet ?- you know, one to let you know that your dreams and ideals may not be reality.

So in the spirit of letting some of the pressure off, I’ve come up with my Summer (un)Bucket List, to remind me that kids need to be?kids and I’m not the summer cruise director.

Summer (un)Bucket List:

?I will not beat myself up over?screen time. ?I know that summer will have rainy days and we can’t always be out gallivanting in the glorious sunshine. ?My brother and I watched the movies Cloak and Dagger and Clue at least 74 times each summer and we turned out okay, right?

To the other extreme, I?will not consider summer as a staple of childhood that should be enjoyed by gargantuan?amounts of kid-lazy. ?I will remember that little ones will too soon have husbands and wives and I’m raising them for that, too. ?They are old enough to pick up a wet swimsuit or make a sandwich.

I will not talk about my summer body or my swimsuit readiness. ?First, because there is a little girl in my household that needs to grow up knowing she is made in the image of God, not made in the image of Cosmopolitan. ?Secondly, kids want me in the pool, not hovering on the sidelines because of my own insecurities.

I will?not be an activities coordinator. ?My mom didn’t give me a list of stimulating activities, she sent me out into the yard. ?I will employ little minds to entertain themselves, knowing that imagination is the best part of childhood.

I will not feel guilt over rest.??Mom is allowed a summer vacation, too. ?Although there will be laundry and meals and the ever-present demands, I will not allow myself to be suffocated by the?hands on the clock. ?I won’t be acting as cruise director, but I AM steering the ship. ?This means that ice cream or Cheerios are perfectly acceptable dinner menus.

Have you struggled with summer guilt? ?What’s on your (un)Bucket List?