Hi, I’m Jeni! And sometimes I mindlessly scroll the interwebs. Let’s be real, most of us do. And in the mindless scrolling, on multiple occasions, I see posts about “we only get 18 summers with our kids, make the most of them!” While I understand the sentiment, I really do not appreciate the immediate anxiety it causes in me.

Anyone else have a sense of panic reading that?!

*deep breath* Let’s all reframe it.

From a clinical perspective, the sentiment in that type of post is to remind us to make the most of the present moments, create memories, be a family, take in the ages of our kids, along with taking time as a couple. As a clinician, I fully agree with the sentiment! As a society and our generations, we are often moving at the speed of light. But also as a clinician, we don’t need to use fear and anxiety to fuel the need to slow down.

Being present, creating memories, being a family, and enjoying life doesn’t have to happen JUST in the summer. Sure, summer can be easier to get in the family vacations, and enjoy the outdoors with the increased amount of sunlight and warmer temperatures. And if that is your plan or norm, that’s great! I genuinely hope you have an amazing time!

Memories can be created ANY time of the year. Being a family can happen ANY day. The kids stay their chronological age for a full 365 days. Moments can, and do, happen all.the.time.

My reframe is this- find frequent small ways to enjoy life as it is, along with finding some bigger ways, too.

How? Here’s some ideas:

If you are a family or couple that takes vacations, go for it! Enjoy them!
Movie nights. Jeni’s family does Friday Night Movie Night every other weekend. The kids talk about which movie they want to watch all week as they look forward to Friday. We sometimes make popcorn, sometimes offer different snacks, sometimes do a picnic dinner while watching the movie, or a fun treat. The cost- nearly nothing (we stay home and use the streaming services we already have). The effort(planning) in the experience- small. The impact- pretty big. This can be done year-round.
Special or specific meal days. Taco Tuesdays anyone? Spaghetti Saturdays? Another year-round option.
Game nights.
Go to a park. Go on a hike in the fall to take in the beauty of the fall colors.
Bake or cook together.
Build a blanket fort.
Go to the library.
Wash the car.
Living room campout.
Teddy Bear tea party.

More can be found by a good ole Google search or Pinterest