You get me again…Palmer here 🙂 I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend and enjoying the summer sunshine 😊☀
I see something funny (and not surprising) happen with almost all my clients when summer rolls around each year, whether they are tweens or in their early 20’s. Things get chaotic. One week they’re busy at camps, trips, activities and all the things. The next week they’re bored and don’t feel like doing anything. 🤷
I often see my clients let the summer pass without much purpose or intention. I know when I was a teen, the last thing I cared about during the summer was “bettering myself.” I just wanted to relax and hang out. However, for some crazy reason, there is something about doing nothing day after day that just isn’t really relaxing. A few days of it, sure but then it feels much better to have at least a few things I am doing that are productive. We are wired to feel better as we progress and grow, not always in the moment but overtime we reap the benefits.
So here’s what I do to help my clients be intentional with their summer:
1. We brainstorm fun, relaxing activities for them to do… almost like a little bucket list. It’s funny how we can WANT to do so many fun things, but then the days just pass and we don’t really make them happen.
2. We come up with challenges! Tweens and teens love a little challenge (with the right kind of push). It’s a fun way for them to do things that are outside of their comfort zone. AND it’s a way to sneak in growth oriented activities that feel exciting.
3. We lay out some hopes and goals for the summer. We have a casual conversation about what would make summer feel good. How can we balance relaxing activities with activities that will help us grow and learn? What are a few things that feel important for them to do this summer? What are they looking forward to? When you give them open-ended questions like this, it gives them a sense of ownership over their summer.
Well… now that we’ve talked about those three things, and since it’s not just kids who sometimes need a little push to get started we have a little treat for you 😉 We put together a free “summer bundle” last year for tweens and teens that we got so much great feedback on. It includes a summer bucket list, a challenge tracking sheet, and a goal sheet with questions you and your kiddo can answer together.
I just wanted to make this little bundle as a way to help you and your kid have an even more intentional summer. Before you know it, the school year will be here. Let this summer be one of fun, purpose, and time spent together as a family. |
