Summer has officially ended. With the start of school this week, our calendar is quickly filling up with volunteering obligations, after school activities and doctor appointments. While I enjoyed our non-scheduled summer, I must confess experiencing a moment of panic a few days ago. This happened as I was learning all about the amazing camps my children's friends attended this summer. Our children didn't go to any! Granted we did travel up and down the New England coast during July, but for the rest of the summer we stayed pretty local and took each day as it came. We camped out some, hiked some, we ventured into the city some, went swimming some and entertained friends some. Some days we just stayed home and enjoyed being lazy. Granted, my work allows for a flexible schedule, but l still prefer to keep our days as free of routine as I do during the school year. I limit sports and other activities to the degree that the kids don't feel over-scheduled and I am not running/driving around like a harried maniac. At times, I wonder if my "slow it down" approach to parenting is inhibiting my kids' experiences, and whether they are able to keep up socially and physically with the children that are involved in more activities. I guess time will tell.
Managing time and maintaining a feasible routine no matter how many children in one's family, can be challenging and difficult for any parent. How much is too much and how little is too little. I would love to hear how other parents handle the demands of a "routined world".
This could be the beginning of an interesting dialogue, don't you think?
During our stay in Cambridge this summer, I had the chance to catch up with my photographer friend Kristen of Kristen Joy Emack Photography. Having always admired her personal style of portrait photography, I asked Kristen to take pictures of our family. She accepted and invited us to a spot that she chose very carefully. Her ease with the lens and the people in front of it shows through the realness of her approach to photography. Here are a few images from our morning session with Kristen. I'm so pleased with the results.
Over the summer, Kristen was named best photographer by Scout Cambridge Magazine. To see more of Kristen's work check out her website here.
