As I write, this summer is in its early stages and parents everywhere are making plans for their children who are taking a much needed break from school. It has been a number of years since my daughters were young enough for me to have a need to focus on their summer plans, however I remember how stress-inducing it could be. Whether you are securing day camps, play-dates, or simple activities to keep them from being bored out of their minds, there will be a lot of mental energy expended.
Just this past week, I walked outside in the early twilight with my little dog, and I saw the twinkle of the first firefly of summer. It brought back such a sweet memory of one early summer evening, when both of my girls were still young enough to be in elementary school. We were thrilled to have a little more time to relax outside in the evening, and we made our first discovery of firefly season. I had known of fireflies and their magical luminescence as a child, but this particular evening was the first that I recall actually noticing fireflies as an adult. We had been playing outside and started to see their amber glow and the fun began as we chased after them to try to catch them. As with much in life, the chase was far more enjoyable than the actual catch. Those beautiful, tiny creatures begin fluttering by in the early evening hours of late May and they intermittently glow as if a blinking neon sign sent to remind us to take notice of the longer days. They seem to be holdovers from a simpler time when children spent their days outdoors until the streetlights came on, or the fireflies twinkled.
The transition into summer can be a bit bumpy as families figure out daily chores, bedtimes, sports activities, swim lessons, and in this era, how much is too much screen time. Looking back I know I spent too much time worrying over keeping my children from being bored in the summer. I had forgotten that often, boredom is the space where so many genius ideas and inventions are hatched.
Now, I have one daughter who is out of college, and her younger sister is beginning her final summer before “real world” post-college life, and all that comes with it. I look back at those summers of the past and realize how fleeting they are. Most of us will only be blessed with 18 summers with our children before they are expected to move on to whatever life has to offer. Time slips by much more quickly than we can ever imagine when they are toddlers.
So as you schedule all of the plans for your children this summer, make sure you plan for frozen popsicles, yard sprinklers, backyard campouts, grilled hot dogs, roasted marshmallows, and look for those mystical fireflies. My years of living have shown me that things that seem so simple, come with joyful and lingering memories of time spent savoring the specialness of summer. Thankfully, every summer has a Firefly season for us to seek the magic and marvel at the beauty around us. It beckons us to slow down and appreciate the little moments, which upon reflection, are often the most meaningful.
