The kids have been away all summer. You decided, before they left, that you were going to take care of some things that you had not had time to address during the school year. You are psyched, have a plan and before you know it, the kids are either back or on their way back in one more week.
Did you accomplish what you wanted? Learn to salsa with your spouse? Vacation? Clean your file cabinet? Did you accomplish anything? When the kids come home and ask how YOUR summer was, what are you going to tell them?
The reason I pose this question is that many parents are afraid to give their children the gift of summer independence because they don’t know what they will do with themselves. They are either afraid that:
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their purpose will cease to exist,
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they will actually have to talk with their spouse,
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they will be expected to accomplish something other than relaxation, or
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they feel that it is selfish to send the kids away and have nothing that must be taken care of.
If you have not yet sent the kids away, what dreams do you have of accomplishing? Trust me, a mini episode of empty nest syndrome is a real issue. When the kids leave for college, there does exist a real sense of depression. A summer without the children can be unsettling. More articles to come on how to handle these feelings. But…
Don’t deny your children the opportunity to learn incredible life skills at sleepaway camp because of your fears.
So what will you tell your kids you did with your summer 2017?