Why I'm Putting My Phone Down This Summertime

There’s so much I want for my children. I want for them to be healthy, happy, have an intimate relationship with God, and to be a productive citizen.

However, I want a bit more for them. I want them to enjoy the summer and have forever special, feel good memories that the smell of freshly cut grass and the sound of an ice cream truck brings back to them one day.

Laying in a lawn chair as I watch Savannah play in a dollar store pool with beach toys gives me a sense of peace. Savannah often reminds me to put my phone down as I may be going through emails, checking my bank balance, or writing a new blog post. She pulls my phone away from me and crawls into my lap. As my soon to be 14-year-old and 12-year-old have their own phones, I don’t want to be an example of having my face in a phone all the time. Yes, this is a different generation. However, respectful and positive principles must be implemented to gain respectable and positive results while allowing the most incredible memories to be made!

I want summertime to reflect a season of chilled non-routine days. I want my children to have memories of the smell of the grill cooking our dinner, popsicles staining their tongue and lips, playing in a sprinkler, going to the pool/water park, watching a movie in a wet bathing suit, being chilled as they walk inside a cool house after playing in a pool, staying up late and sleeping in. I want them to remember the smell of sunscreen and the family memories of us all together. I want them to remember the excitement of going to the grocery store to pick out snacks and food for a vacation. (Cheez-its, Vienna sausage, and Dr. Pepper are my childhood vacation snacks). I want them to remember us celebrating the birth of our country with fireworks, grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. I want them to have precious memories of driving to Orlando and spending time with Gam-mah, Papi, and cousins.

Most importantly, I want my kids to remember me being there. There have been things I had to miss because of work as a single mom and actually had one in my chain of command tell me “there are things you just have to miss.” I realize how hard it is to be completely responsible for children and others with no help.

So, today and the next day, and the day after that, I will be aware of the time I am on my phone. I will let my kids be kids. I will surround them with positive energy and flood them with love, and intentionally strive for an environment full of all the summertime smells and activities. I will be there. Why? Because I love summertime and the memories I have, but I love my kids even more and want their memories to be the best!

I have an amazing husband who shares the same desires as I and is so incredibly supportive of me and the time I have with our children. I couldn’t be more thankful and appreciative.

There is a quote hanging in Alexis’ bathroom that says it all, “You are the author of your own life story. So make it a good one!”

Happy summering, friends!