Don’t Make a Happy Kid Happier

“Fire!”

“Fire again!”

“Yay! They’re gone!”

“No, they’re not! More are coming!”

I’m sitting on the back porch at my mom’s house, watching my two kids and their cousin hurl rocks into the pond at their imaginary foe. They are defending their fort from pirates, Swiss Family Robinson style.

The original plan the three kids had this morning was to use the paddleboat and explore the guitar-pick–shaped pond. What then developed was a vast Voyage of the Dawn Treader sea voyage and storm; an exploration of a very calm ocean; an ocean pollution clean-up venture to collect what the real storm blew into the water last night because they are conservationists like Peter Schriemer; and after a brief break for lunch, venturing to a new land post the tower of Babel event (tell me your mom works at Answers in Genesis without telling me your mom works at Answers in Genesis). And then came the pirates.

In wanting to prove myself to be the fun mom/aunt, I almost jumped into their imagineering to “help” them see other ways to create whole new worlds, better develop their plot twists, and more efficiently set up their forts.

Turns out, they only needed my help washing sand off their feet, legs, and backs, and even behind their ears, looking up if spring peeper frogs have eyelids (they do, three in fact), and grabbing snacks.

There can be pressure as homeschooling parents to constantly direct our kids and ensure they are challenged, learning, and doing all the things all the time. Make the most of each moment, right?

But I am always impressed by how my kids create more with less. Instead of all the toys, a few are chosen. Instead of bringing out all the craft supplies, they used pipe cleaners to create a whole house layout, kitchen tools, and currency. Instead of buying new board games, they created their own out of magnet tiles, Lego pieces, dice, and rules of their own design.

Summer months can be the time when our schedules are less hectic and our kiddos have more time to explore their interests and hobbies. Instead of every moment booked, there’s a pause time. Time to be bored!

It can be a good thing for learning to look different than during the school year.

Of course, learning doesn’t pause in the summer. But it can be a good thing for learning to look different than during the school year. Slower. More creative. More peaceful. More restful—even while continuing to build that spiritual foundation. It could be a summer that mirrors God resting on the seventh day in Genesis 2:2.

My mom often says we are most like God when we create because we as humans were created in the image of our Creator (Genesis 1:27). So may I encourage you to sit back . . . just a bit . . . and watch creation continue.