Finally, summer is here. It’s the six weeks we’ve all been waiting for, right? No more school runs, no more bodging together packed lunches at the crack of dawn, no more after-school activities. Perhaps – for a few days at least – we’ll be able to lay in past the dreaded 7 o’clock alarm. We’re really living the life, guys. This is the good life.

So, can I ask, why are we so insistent on making summer time just as hectic as the weeks outside of the holidays. Oh. My. Gosh. We don’t half like to make things difficult for ourselves.

Hands up, who’s enrolled their kids onto some sort of STEM activity? Why? Hands up, who’s scheduled in swimming, picnics in the park, a day at the beach? Why? Hands up, who’s spent evening-after-evening trawling Facebook evenings and Days Out With The Kids in an attempt to make every day adrenaline-packed and eventful?

Oh, that’s right. The entire population of Internet-using parents have just raised both arms, both legs, and are twinkling their toes for good measure.

Why do we do this to ourselves?

Forgive me if I’m wrong, but we spend the whole of term time ensuring our children do their homework. We ferry each of them to their chosen extra-curricular. We spin on our loving bosoms to ensure that every school event, school run, and school project is done on time to a passable the highest standard. 

And yet, when we finally get a few weeks to down tools and recuperate, we just can’t let it lie. We throw chaotic activities, blast our routine out of the water, and make life ten times harder than it really needs to be.

And it’s not just about us. As Helen Lovejoy of The Simpsons famously said, ‘Think of the children!’ Surely they need a break from the hustle and bustle of the nine-while-three. Learning is hard!

Remember in the good old days when summer was all about water fights, marbles, riding your bike, playing hopscotch on the yard, going to the park with your mates? Those where the good old days. We ate cheese sarnies and sat in the sun and enjoyed a Mr Freeze ice-pop for afters. And those were the best days.

Whether it’s social media, and the need to impress. Whether it’s the normality of our relentless fast-paced lifestyles. Whether it’s the pressure from others to meet the ever-demanding highs of parenting trends. Whatever it is. Let’s call it quits.

How about we strip things back. Paint some rocks. Read some books. Eat a jam sandwich and an equally unhealthy dessert. Sit in the back garden and set up Swingball. Bounce a tennis ball against a wall and learn how to catch. Get some chalk and make a hopskotch. Let our kids call on their friends and spend their days doing nothing. Let’s make ice pops from fresh juice and lemonade from real lemons.

Let’s take things slow this summer, let's put down the technology and enjoy the rest that we all deserve.

(I just need to take my own advice now).

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