You may have seen this post doing the rounds on social media recently, but 18 summers with our children, is that really it? It seems to make complete sense when you think about it but surely there is so much more to childhood than just the summer.
And just 18?? That really does sound quite shocking and it made me think about my own childhood and the one I hope I am giving my own children.
18 Summers with our children
Sometimes on social media, it’s OK to call bullshit! It’s also OK to see the logic behind something, maybe even get swept away by it. I have to admit to thinking ‘Oh crap’ when I read this. Panicking about time flying away from me, on missing out on time with my children or feeling guilty for not making more of our summers together, as limited as they are.
But then I thought some more, What is so important about the summer? As if the other seasons matter less. As if we can’t have as much fun at any other time of the year.
Each season brings so much potential for new experiences.
18 x 4 seasons maybe?
In spring we can watch the world come alive, new life begins and the change in the weather brings such promise. It means more time spent outside and exploring after a winter mainly spent indoors.
Summer, we pin all our hopes on the sun making a regular appearance but then complain when it does or of course when it doesn’t! Yes it means the days are longer, and we tend to save our holiday times for those magic 6 weeks of summer. We all have more fun and freedom. Its magic what a bit of sunshine can do for the soul.
But Autumn, when the leaves are changing and the world we watched come alive just 6 months earlier is starting to fade. The beautiful sunsets, the stunning colours, the crunch of leaves beneath our feet brings their own adventures. The smell of bonfires and the bangs of fireworks, woolly jumpers and family time at home is what Autumn means to me.
And then there is Winter. Of course it’s cold, but I love that. I love the dark nights and being home and comfy and cosy indoors. It also means Christmas. And there are a huge number of fun things to be done around that. There are many things that can be done outside as well. That’s what big coats and hat and gloves are for.
So I guess I will think of it in terms of years. 18 years of childhood, of experiences, of milestones and fun. But then I think about all the amazing times I’ve spent with my parents past that age, the holidays we’ve shared and days out. And then, as a Mum, I’ve been able to do all of that again with my parents and F together.
And the cycle continues, one day (I hope!) I’ll be a grandparent and I can enjoy all these moments again. And if I’m really lucky the kids will want to spend time with us beyond that magic number 18!!!
Lovely Post! Though our entire lives and education system has told us to perceive time as linear (just one long progressing timeline), I think it is more natural to think of time as cyclical – this is what se see reflected in everything: Seasonal cycles. life cycles, year cycles – even in the body we are cyclical. To many more summers ahead!
Oh most definitely. And I know that I didn’t stop wanting to spend time with my parents and over the years that time just got greater and greater x x
I find that we’re often so busy waiting – for the weekend, for summer, to meet our next goal – that we forget to stop and enjoy the moment we’re in. This post served as a great reminder. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Beth. My thoughts exactly, live for the now x
Wow – you really made me think! Indeed, it’s so easy to just drift through life… but every moment (with our children) is a gift. Love your seasonal descriptions too – I do enjoy weather 🙂
I love the seasons so much. Each had its own magic and charm x
We try to spend time together doing fun things throughout the year. It’s such a shame that time flies as you get older.
It just flies by, school was 20 years ago for me but I can remember that summer like it was yesterday x
My blog is all about seasonal activities for kids and getting them outside all year round. I agree, all seasons are important.
Yes I don’t like focusing on the 18 summer things, there’s so many other times you can enjoy times with the kids. 18 years until they’re an adult but then like you said there is so many more family times together
And to some extent I think those past 18 are even more valuable x
I love spending time with the boys and try to do many activities all year long. My eldest is 17 and youngest is 6 so its sad to think I only have 1 Summer left with m eldest.
He’ll be back though x x
I’ve only got 5 left with my oldest, 7 with my youngest. That is really scary
They’ll come back to you as adults though x
I love the opportunity summer presents to slow down and reconnect. It’s much needed after a busy school year.
Oh very much so!
I totally agree. Summer isn’t the only time for making memories with our children, its every day. We have 18 years with our children, thats like 6570 days, which still, isn’t a lot! Caitylis x x
I went to high school in Germany, where you generally don’t finish school until you are 20, so my parents had two extra summers, haha. In all seriousness though, this is a lovely post reminding us to live in the moment.
Thank you so much Jenni. 20 summers is much better x
This is such a lovely post. It is so much different now the way we live before. Being a mother was one of the greatest life achievement and as time goes flies so fast I am enjoying every moment of it.
Oh I totally agree. Life is so full when you have a family x
Wow! 18 Summers that is eye-opening. My kids are so into their devices that I have to plan things to get out of the house. I have our bucket list of local adventures going strong. I am not sure how thrilled they are, but maybe they’ll remember this summer when they are a little older. We are having fun, so far, as a family. But, you have inspired me to work on this a bit more. My oldest is 13, so that really means 4 summers left 🙁
OOPS, I mean 5 summers left!
Enjoy your 5 summers. I bet it’ll end up being many more summers in the years to come x