the slow summer movement

& taste the season

story by | katie pinke

While busyness seems to be the norm year round, summer is a natural time to accomplish everything that didn’t get done the other nine months of the year. Add in camps, weddings, family reunions, and local festivals and there’s little downtime as a family. As moms, we’re often the ringleaders of the chockfull schedules, which means it’s up to us to reclaim the summer respite—or what I refer to as the Slow Summer movement.

Small Wonders

The busyness of summer was in full effect when my now-teenage son, Hunter, and I lived in Grand Forks and Fargo during his toddler and elementary school years. Our summer routine progressed from T-ball to skating for hockey to YMCA camp to lacrosse to Bible camp and then an early pickup at Bible camp to rush to basketball camp and often ending the day with track. Hunter was involved in every single summer activity possible. Sound familiar?

I racked up thousands of miles on my Honda Accord, used vacation time from work to transport him to his numerous activities, and set aside zero time to unwind and soak in the summer together. Before we knew it, we were rushing to buy school supplies and new clothes and get fitted for his football helmet for fall league.

The busyness of summer can be exhausting and overwhelming—there’s no better time for the Slow Summer movement than now!

The Slow Summer movement isn’t deterred by society pressuring your family to do more so you don’t fall behind. It isn’t afraid to forego the elite sports camp or miss out on the foreign language camp. Instead, it’s about slowing down to enjoy the things that mean the most. It’s about creating memories, being intentional about your family’s schedule, and simply being in the moment.

Remember When

The Slow Summer movement started in our family when my husband, Nathan, and I started dating in summer 2005. While enjoying drinks at Hotel Donaldson in Fargo, he expressed how much he loves to fish. Fishing to me involved worms, work, wind, and funny smells. I was not the least bit interested in fishing, but I liked him so I listened. He reminisced about summer camping and fishing trips with his parents and sister. It quickly became apparent that he cherished fishing because it was an activity his family could do together.

The Slow Summer movement continued when we moved from Fargo to the small town of Wishek six years ago. All of the sudden, Hunter didn’t need to be driven across town from one camp or activity to the next because the majority of the activities he participated in while living in the big city didn’t exist. Life moved at a slower pace in our small town—and our family’s schedule reaped the rewards.

While small-town life forces the Slow Summer movement for our family, our three children are still active within reason. When striking the balance between activities and family time, we follow these two rules:

1. Each child can participate in one or two activities. For our high schooler, it’s especially challenging to stick to this rule. This summer he will attend a basketball camp and play baseball. Our two young daughters will both take swimming lessons and one will play T-ball. As parents it’s up to us to keep our kids’ schedules in check. The summer months are fleeting—and too much running around only exasperates the situation. Kids end up cranky and burnt out and mama is right there with them.

2. Write down the activities that your family wants to enjoy together. If you don’t write them down, you’ll lose that much-needed time as a family. Go beyond writing them down and reserve a time for each of your family’s top activities. Maybe that’s as simple as making an activity jar, writing your ideas on pieces of paper or Popsicle sticks and drawing out one at the designated time. For some it means pairing a specific activity to a specific day and syncing everyone’s calendar.

summer to-do

Throughout the year, at suppertime, I ask my family: “What is the best thing that happened today? What is the worst thing that happened? What is one thing you can improve on tomorrow?” In late April my question changes to: “What are your favorite summertime activities, smells, and tastes?” I grab a notebook and pen and write down everything my kids and husband rattle off. This April we made a three-page list of activities, smells, and tastes we don’t want to miss this summer. What does your family not want to miss? Keep in mind, the activities don’t have to cost anything or require much travel.

Try categorizing your Slow Summer list of activities into two parts: ones that you can enjoy as a family around the house and ones that take place out on the town. The following activities are a great way to bring the family together at home:

• Play board or card games

• Break out the crayons and color

• Plant a few rows or pots of vegetables and flowers

• Read a childhood favorite book of yours to your children

• Camp out in the back yard

• Fill water balloons and have a family water balloon fun fight?

• Run through the sprinkler [because your kids don’t care what you look like in your swimsuit]