We are all getting back to the grind with school just starting, and although I am happy that we are back to our normal routines, I keep reflecting on all our summer memories with a big smile on my face as something we referred to this year as our “feral summer.”
When the new year was starting and we were sliding into 2025, I made a promise to myself not to get caught up. Caught up in the social media hype, or caught up in the feeling like I’m not doing enough, or don’t have enough. I was finding myself watching everyone take these amazing vacations or trips to Europe, and I thought, my goodness, is this what summer and birthdays and simple milestones have turned into?
Back in the day, I sat at home and babysat my little sister for the summer. I had a job as a lifeguard; I was definitely not traveling abroad. I was traveling from the kitchen to my bedroom. I went to the Boys and Girls Club when I was younger, and there was nothing to do but hang out with friends and make memories, and those summer moments are what I remember the most.
So this summer, I made a conscious decision not to have any big plans at all. We were going to wing it, and what I found out was what I suspected all along: You don’t need to do all these grand, amazing things over the summer for your kids to have a memorable summer. It’s fine if you do grand things, but don’t feel like you’ve missed out or deprived your kids of anything if you don’t.
No summer camps, no big trips, and no big plans. Just wrestling, jiu jitsu, the beach, and good ol’ boredom on the itinerary. It’s good to be bored. That’s where all the creativity comes from.
My kids enjoyed sleeping in, playing video games until their eyeballs felt like they were going to fall out of their heads, staying up a bit later than they normally do, visiting two springs, wrestling practice, fishing, going to two new skate parks, lots of beach time, and a golf cart full of friends (safely, of course) headed to the local community pool. And they loved it.
READ: Living In My Tween Boy Era
I’ve said this before, so at the risk of sounding like a broken record, sometimes less is more.
Over this past summer, they were always excited that we would let their friends tag along with whatever adventure we had planned. Through that, I hope I’ve laid the groundwork for my boys to feel comfortable as they get older, to still want to be around us with their friends, and be themselves.
I got to see them interact with friends and be silly and watch their personalities come out in a way that they don’t necessarily show when it’s just family. A window into my guys getting older and slowly pulling away from Mom and Dad.
So, as the start of the new school year begins and the season starts to slowly change, I am ready to embrace fall with a new appreciation of the fact that my summers are limited with my boys as they get older. We still have time, but I want to get those family adventures in as much as I can, because man, it goes fast. I want it to be simple and intentional, and I want them to look back as adults and tell stories like that one time their mom was really annoyed with them and called them chaotic kayakers, and then we all laughed, and we screamed “ICEBERG STRAIGHT AHEAD” as we paddled chaotically towards a cypress tree. Only my family can be obnoxious in nature and still have a good time.
I’m so happy we chose to have a feral summer with our boys. I’m so happy we made these memories out of doing nothing special at all — just pure, simple, Florida fun and time spent together.
Cheers to feral summers. I’m ready for you, Fall. Now it’s on to the next adventure.
