Summer Parenting Focus Statement

Today was Memorial Day  and my awesome husband had the weekend off. Friday I began with an energy, pumped for a fabulous family weekend. Saturday and Sunday were both great days. We worked hard, played hard and ate much.  We played outdoor games, board games, enjoyed s’mores and worshiped together. Then came today.

Frankly, the challenge of managing the dirt and chaos that comes with a family of our size hit me. And I remembered that after this week, school is out and my husband will be working. The business of managing chaos on a daily basis is mine and if I’m not careful, I’ll lose focus on what I want the summer to be about. Between balancing ministry, preparing to launch my book in the fall, and all the baseball games, camp, as well as everything else on the calendar, well, I fear that I might lose track of the most important issue at hand– that we don’t get a repeat on this summer. There is only one like this one and we want to live it to God’s glory.

Two summers ago when I hit this stage, I wrote a Summer Creed for Parenting and created a free printable so I could print it out and post it on the fridge. While I still have a deep appreciation for my Summer Parenting Creed and I think any parent could use it to stay focused on what matters most, I thought it might help if we could personalize a Summer Parenting Focus Statement. I know, it sounds kind of formal, but what if every time we walked by the fridge, this paper caught our eye and we were reminded less of the kitchen floor that needs swept, again, and reminded more of the hearts we have the opportunity to mold. So here’s what I propose:

Summer Parenting Focus Statement

This summer I want my kids to remember ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(For example: picnics at the park, heart-to-heart talks around the campfire, that Jesus and the parents love them, etc.)

Our family will keep Christ first each day by

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(Using a children’s Bible reading plan, reading a daily devotional each morning, listening to worship music, etc.)

Our family will show love and respect to each other and our community by

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(Reference your house rules, list a service project, etc. For example, my family hosts the MPS family gathering each summer. That is one way we work together to serve the people God has placed in our path.)

I really wanted to make this easy for you (and me!) to use, so I created this FREE printable as a simple reminder to stay focused on having a wonderful family summer together.

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Rachel