Parenting is a year-round process, yet summer brings a unique opportunity to amplify our parenting efforts. The relaxed pace of the season, with its sunshine and family activities, provides an ideal backdrop for “supercharging” our parenting initiatives while enjoying the fun of the season together.

We’ve always been proponents of goal setting and planning, as evidenced in our Tuesday Letters. That’s why we’ve crafted a Summertime Checklist—a guide to help you prepare or revisit parenting strategies as summer approaches.

  • Refresh your parenting toolbox – Many of you have participated in our online classes. Now is a great time to revisit your notes and review the areas you wanted to improve. If you haven’t had the opportunity to take an online parenting class with us yet, we recommend browsing our past letters or searching for topics such as “Couchtime,” “Rebellion,” “Speaking Life,” and others.

    https://onefamilyhwl.org/topics/onefamily/

 

  • Introducing new responsibilities (chores) – Summer is a wonderful way to prepare them for the upcoming school year and to foster independence and accountability. Here are some ideas:

    Younger Child
    Table Duties: Setting and clearing the table.
    Room Maintenance: Keeping their space tidy.
    Bedtime Routine: Changing into pajamas, placing dirty clothes in the basket, and brushing as well as flossing teeth.

Older Child
Waste Management: Taking out the trash.
Kitchen Help: Loading and unloading the dishwasher.
Grocery Management: Putting away groceries.
Housekeeping: Dusting and making the bed.
Laundry: Sorting and storing clean laundry.

Middle Years/Tween
Outdoor Chores: Engaging in yard work.
House Cleaning: Vacuuming and helping with meal preparation.
Bathroom Upkeep: Cleaning their own bathroom.
Laundry: Managing their laundry independently.

Teen
Sibling Care: Watching over younger siblings.
Car Maintenance: Washing and servicing cars.
Advanced Yard Work: Using gas-powered tools for mowing and edging.
Meal Preparation: Starting with fixing lunch and progressing to breakfast and dinner.
Employment: Seeking a summer job.

  • Tonic Conversations – Plan the conversations and topics you want to address over the summer.  These discussions allow parents and children to explore sensitive topics in a non-confrontational manner and should be tailored to each child’s developmental stage and individuality.  Remember, these are conversations not a lecture.  Be sure to ask plenty of questions.  These discussions are often ongoing, evolving with the child’s cognitive and moral development. A topic broached in one season may take on new meaning in another, necessitating revisits and continued dialogue as the child grows.  Visit our resource page for conversation ideas and suggestions by developmental age:  Embracing TONIC-Conversations with your child or add our Conversation Cards to your meal times or road trips.

 

  • Reinforce Family Identity– Cultivating your family identity is an ongoing process that needs to grow and develop as your family grows and develops.  Here are some shifts in mindsets to some familiar family identity activities for summer:

    Family Vacation: Make it about fun and enjoying one another. Build and nurture relationships without the expectation of turning them into teachable moments.

    Family Game/Movie Night – Summer family nights allowed us the time to do things we wouldn’t necessarily do during the busy school year.  Maybe play a longer board game, start a tournament or do a puzzle that might take several family nights to complete.  Or maybe start a family friendly TV series or movie series that you can watch over the summer (remember to be mindful of too much screen time – This is a key topic that will be addressed at the GFI Conference!)

    Family Service – Serve others together and build relationship while developing empathy and compassion.  Take a mission trip, join a community cleanup project, visit a senior center, help with VBS, etc.., Investing in the lives of others as a family is a rich and meaningful way to rejuvenate family bonds while experiencing many valuable life-lessons together.

 

Start considering these suggestions and ideas now, as summer is approaching quickly. Use this time without conflict to prepare and be intentional. This approach has helped us make rewarding and positive progress with our boys during the summer. Focusing on these key areas has definitely paid off for us, resulting in a fulfilling summer where our boys embraced new responsibilities, engaged in meaningful conversations, and enjoyed plenty of family fun.

Blessings to your family,

Shelly & Rich