Peace at Home Blog

A Mindful Transition into Summer

June 2022 | Dana Asby LaBranche

As the summer is upon us, many families are looking at their calendars and wondering how to make the most of their time together. Some parents are working from home, juggling child care and their jobs. Other parents are considering which camps and summer enrichment programs can fill their children’s time. Many parents are looking for ideas to help their children make the most of their summer downtime—whether that’s mastering a new skill, enhancing their creative abilities, bonding more closely as a family, or exploring their hometown or a far-off destination.

No matter what your family wants out of this summer, with a little planning and intention, you can have a summer that satisfies the whole family and brings everyone together for quality time. To better understand what your partner and children want out of this summer, schedule a family meeting. During your family meeting, try these steps to learn more about what your family wants out of this summer:

• Give everyone homework to dream up their ideal summer vacation, perhaps by putting some geographic, monetary, and time limits.
• Teach your children skills to deal with disappointment and to compromise to find a summer plan that works for most.
• Ensure everyone gets a chance to talk with intention by setting some ground rules like no interruptions and respectful feedback only.
• Use active and reflective listening skills to pick up on the small details that each family member is looking for in their summer adventure.
• Write down a Plan A, B, C, and D, and talk to your family about possible hiccups that could disrupt family plans.
• Plan for more activities than you have time to do so you have some options, but leave room for boredom, too.

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