my summer mantra...

i always have big plans for summer. in fact, i live for summer. even after i finished school as a student i took on a job at a school as a teacher. so summers have always been free. and now as a parent of a grade schooler i live even more for summer.
the school year is hard work.
i have to pack a lunch.
make sure my child has clean clothes.
make sure that child is clean herself.
feed that child breakfast.
make sure that child has finished her homework (good grief 45min of homework is excessive for first graders?!).
make sure that child gets to bed at a decent hour.
basically be the buzz kill for any child anywhere. my job during the school year is to be the warden. once i smell summer, my heart begins to tingle with excitement. oh so soon i can liberate myself from the confines of parental responsibility! oh so soon i can taste the joy of childhood with my children!
my expectations are set unreasonably high. i expect summer to be the healing salve to all of the stressful moments of the school year. after all, i worked hard for this. she worked hard for this. we deserve relaxation.
so, my mantra for this summer is "gentle parenting -- live big and love your children"
sometimes having four children is stressful.
sometimes i try to control the chaos with reigns that are too tight.
i'm not sure exactly how to implement my mantra but i pray that my heart is made evident to my children. i wish i could just unzip my chest and show them how much my heart beats for them. but that would be gross. and probably scarring. especially for calvary but not as much for harper. harper would be intrigued. the point is, sometimes i feel overwhelmed with how much "parenting" gets in the way of how i want to love. and having four kids means that there is ALWAYS someone that needs some parenting; whether that means changing a diaper, putting on clothes, trying to preserve nap time peace, disciplining a bad attitude, breaking up a sibling quarrel.
i just want to breathe this summer. i want to sit back and watch my children be children. i want to spend more time with them and less time managing. i want to care less if a nap is interrupted. i want to give more snacks and jump on the bed. and maybe give snacks while we jump on the bed. i want to ignore the bubbles that spill over to the floor during bath time. i want to read more books and color more pictures. i want to bake and sew. i want to race in the pool. i want to find a new way to maintain order in my house.
i love my kids and i enjoy my kids. and how blessed am i to be able to spend my summer days at home with them?!
"live big and love your children"
"live big and love your children"
"live big and love your children"