“You only get 18 delicious summers with your kids. This is one of your 18. If that’s not perspective, I don’t know what is.”
Summer has a way of sneaking up on us. Depending where you live, the winter can be long, the spring short, and before you know it, Memorial Day weekend is here.
Summer feels like a natural time to slow down life a little. But interestingly, it is often accompanied with offers of more.
More plans. More purchases. More activities. More pressure to make it “the best summer ever.”
Retailers roll out new fashions, new collections of patio furniture, outdoor games, and travel gear. There are new movies, new concerts, new trendy travel locations, and the same-old expectations. All arriving just in time to convince us we’re one or two purchases away from the perfect summer.
In fact, according to one study, summer is now the second most expensive season of the year, right behind winter and the holidays. Additionally, contrary to popular belief, weight gain is more likely during summer than in winter—for both kids and adults.
But the numbers don’t end there, 36% of Americans plan to take on debt for summer travel. And nearly half of Americans report experiencing negative mental health symptoms during the summer season from anxiety and stress. There is even a phrase that has recently been invented (funflation) to describe skyrocketing prices for summer entertainment.
Those statistics paint a very different picture than the slower pace of life many of us assume summer is going to be. Rather than being a time that naturally slows us down, it can unintentionally become a season of increased spending and stress.
So let this article remind you: In summer, the days slow down and we should too.
After all, the best summers aren’t defined by what we buy. They’re defined by what we choose to make room for.
In other words, just like every other season of life, we are faced with a decision because simplicity doesn’t tend to happen automatically. Humans are naturally inclined to add more and more—unless we purposefully decide to slow down.
Slowing down is a choice that we need to make each day.
The world around us will push us to fill our carts, our calendars, our minds, and our lives with more than we need. But we don’t have to say yes.
This summer, choose a different path.
49% of Americans say they spend the most time with loved ones during summer—more than any other time of year. That’s something worth protecting. So let’s do our part.
Here are a few simple ways to slow down and fill your summer with what matters most:
Say no to one thing for the summer months. Cancel an unnecessary, recurring obligation for the summer months. Leave more time for spontaneity.
Reclaim your evenings. I once worked with a father of three who changed his work schedule every summer—arriving at 6am so he could leave at 3pm—specifically so he could be more present during the beautiful summer evenings with his wife and kids.
Go outside, tech-free. Spend more time in nature. Walk, hike, swim, picnic, read, or just sip lemonade on the back porch. Nature doesn’t rush. Being in it reminds us we don’t have to either.
Schedule one vacation day at home. More than half of parents (55%) take fewer than five days off during the summer. If you are leaving vacation days on the table every year, change that. Take at least one vacation day this summer to be at home with no plans. Just let the day unfold naturally—the ultimate mental health day.
Find some simple rituals. A morning walk, an evening board game, pancakes on Saturday morning, or reading a book on the porch—they don’t have to be big to be meaningful and impactful. Simple rituals tend to foster simplicity and intentionality in other areas.
Brainstorm free activities. There is joy in keeping your tastes simple. If your natural tendency is to always spend money when looking for entertainment or ideas of what to do with the kids, purposefully brainstorm free things to do. It is good for your budget and good for them.
And for goodness sake, go with your kids to the swimming pool and play in the water with them. While you still can.
Summer won’t slow down automatically. You have to choose it.
This is rather off the mark. I work full time and have three teenagers. For my work, it’s the busiest season of the year. There is no vacation time to take. For my kids, one is off to college and there are orientations, summer internship, background checks, etc. Another is taking college classes. The third is doing all the social things. I haven’t been able to take a vacation for health and financial reasons since 2017, and that was to a state park for two days with my spouse and kids. Your posts are getting farther and farther from the reality of many working people. Who do you think has all this free time and free money to fritter away? Most of us are busy working and dealing with the everyday obligations of family and household management.
Sounds like your life would benefit from slowing down a bit.
You’re hilarious. If I slow down my work, I lose my job. I need my job for income, health insurance and retirement. My employer also offers dependent and employee tuition benefits, which come at a critical time in my children’s lives. They can start life with a debt-free college education this way.
Wise words and good advice…..for summers even here in sometimes less than sunny good old Scotland. However THIS year we’ve had a glorious spring of almost five weeks unbroken sunshine……so much so that farmers are crying out for the rain which came at long last, yesterday! Thank you for sharing.
My mom and I know about the weight gain: There’s a great array of beautiful fresh summertime fruit to enjoy! However, did you know that all animals in nature gain weight over the summer to prepare for scarcity in winter? Since we’re animals, it’s normal for us also, so let the stress go and be normal.
I know this is the best advice. My adult children always talk about our bike rides to the beach, saving the found money in laundry to get ice cream from the ice cream truck and other simple times we just hung out together.
Love this! I remember hot summer nights and picnics at the beach as a kid. It wasn’t until Covid hit and things came to a screeching halt that we reclaimed our summer back. Missed a few things but sure enjoyed the calmness. We wait for summer and then it races by with a full calendar. A good reminder to slow down again.
Thanks Heather. I agree.
Things came to a screeching halt unless you were a blue collar worker or someone else serving your needs. Lucky you were able to slow down!
Picnics by the lake and by the park are so beautiful. Biking and riding a scooter with my daughter also are so much fun and therapeutic. We love walks by the lake or ponds and exploring new parks. These are the days to cherish!
Dogs and summer go together like apple pie and vanilla ice cream. My son is an adult now, proudly serving as a 2nd Lieutenant in the military. And so my dog accompanies me to the local parks, for our walks in nature, where birdsong, late afternoon breezes, and the laughter of children in the playground cleanses our souls and renews our spirits. Although a post walk dog biscuit must be included in the experience-for the dog, not me!
Ha!
Summer = Gazpacho. I have my own unique recipe but I suggest finding one you love and making it all summer long. It is delicious, cooling and so easy to make.
This is so true it brings tears to my eyes. Those simple things are what create memories. Visits to grandparents with my kids meant backyard BBQs and watering the plants with a watering can, Picnic lunch at the park that had the “cool” playground. And my mom’s apartment complex had a lovely pool with steps where my kids had their first pool experiences. My mom had a basket in her living room with some toys and books from my childhood, which my kids loved to play with. Simple things are the best for kids. The grandparents are gone now, but my kids remember them.
Thanks for reminder! I love a simple picnic in the summer… anywhere, even in the backyard.
Great advice for summer. Thank you.Don’t forget to go to the local ice cream stand, wait in line, buy a cone and just stand there and eat it.
Yes, such a wonderful addition! Thank you John.