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My Kids Had an Amazing Summer of Doing Absolutely Nothing!
I can still picture a sunny afternoon from my childhood in the mid-’80s, dressed in my vibrant pink sequined tutu from a yard sale. I was zipping around our cracked plastic pool, making wild leaps over the garden hose. My little sister was joyfully splashing in the murky water, giggling with grass clinging to her chin. Meanwhile, my parents were sunk into their vinyl folding chairs—Mom slathered in baby oil, painting her toenails a bright fuchsia, while Dad’s mustache bobbed above the pages of his paperback.
That day, Dad handed me a 17-cent container of iodized salt and told me that if I could sprinkle a bit on a sparrow’s tail, I’d have a new pet. I remember the thrill as I darted around the yard, my fingers clutching the salt, eager to catch a bird. Spoiler alert: I never did capture one, but that day—and many other carefree moments of my youth—taught me a valuable lesson: Life is a collection of moments, and those moments don’t need to be extravagant to be joyful.
Fast forward to today, and I understand that sending kids to summer camps or daycare is necessary for many families. However, juggling my work schedule and the costs, it’s often cheaper for us to keep our kids at home. So, we decided to run our own version of “Camp Free-for-All,” where my husband and I were the head counselors.
While summer camps offer structured activities, my kids discovered that unstructured time can be just as enriching. They enjoyed lazy mornings snuggled in my bed, dug holes in the yard, crafted robots from dollar-store supplies, and even experimented with egg tosses off the deck to see what would break their fall. They got lost in stories at the local library, constructed forts with sheets and thumbtacks, and created elaborate games that took them on imaginary adventures to the Eiffel Tower. They even concocted a “cookie recipe” using just cake mix and butter—what a treat!
In embracing a summer where nothing was “extraordinary,” my kids savored the same kind of creative and spontaneous adventures I had three decades ago. I hope they’ll look back fondly on their childhood, realizing that life truly is a series of moments, and that those moments can be wonderful even when they seem ordinary.
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Summary
This summer, my kids embraced the beauty of unstructured play, creating memories filled with joy and creativity without the need for organized camps. Through lazy mornings, imaginative games, and fun experiments, they experienced a magical summer just like I did years ago.