During the summer, many families take some vacation time. For some, summer holidays may be a stay-cation, staying around town and enjoying summer activities here, or hosting visitors in your home. It can also mean heading away on a trip or to visit family elsewhere. I just got back from a trip with my family to western Canada to visit my side of the family. I am just so thankful for this time to disconnect and be together.
I don’t know about you, but when I take my family back home to place where I grew up, there are so many nostalgic things I like to do with them. For me, that means spending a lot of time by the water and playing and exploring the treasures on the beach with my kids. For my partner, it is taking the kids to explore farms and see the animals as he grew up in the country.
Family vacations can be beautiful chaos
Of all the things we do when we go away, I think the best part of these trips is simply connecting with family that we don’t get to see all the time. I love watching the kids playing with their cousins and renew ties with their aunts, uncles and grandma. It is a different kind of bond and so special.
While we had a wonderful time on our vacation, we also had our fair share of hiccups. Family vacations are not always all flowers and sunsets. There are definite challenges to work through and there are many times when it is not easy. There is a lot of excitement on a family vacation, and maybe even a little extra sugar. There are long travel times. Routines and regular bedtimes may go out the window. As a result of all this, behaviours can sometimes become erratic.
In our family, we tend to try to let go a little more on vacation and let more things slide. This means tolerating some mayhem but, hey, that is part of life sometimes with young kids. Beautiful chaos, as we call it. 😎
Great ways for you to connect with others here this summer
I find the summer in Québec to be a bit short, so I make a real point of getting out to soak up the warm summer days of August while they last. I have a few suggestions that you might want to check out with your family of great things happening within our community and around the city this month.
Are you looking to connect more with other English-speaking parents and families? Don’t miss the last Park Playdates of the summer. Get out and meet some new people and try a new park in the process. As always, these events are hosted by local parents and take place on either Friday or Saturday mornings at local playgrounds around town. You can run around with your little ones or just rock your baby in the stroller or baby carrier while you chat with other parents. Check out the summer line-up for these events on the right sidebar of our Park Playdates page.
Dads and kiddos, why not join Jarryd Smith, our WE Dads Community Animator for a Saturday morning of soccer on August 26. For more details, don’t hesitate to reach out to Jarryd!
Stay tuned for exciting changes to our Family Matters programming starting in October which will bring more regular programming for our early childhood activities.
Follow us on Facebook and check out our events calendar often to stay tuned to updates about all our activities.
Wishing you all a lovely August,
Jessica
