How to Give Your Kids a 1970s Summer

As the whirlwind of the last few weeks of schoolwork flew by, I found myself ready for the long, unscheduled days of summer: sleeping in, spending our afternoons poolside and playing hide and seek until the fireflies come out. Realistically, my idea of carefree summer days comes from my 1970s summer I spent as a youth and not from the summers our kids typically experience.

Camps, playdates and ball games often fill up most of our calendars, and any free time is consumed by parent-planned educational activities and crafts seen on social media. While these things aren’t bad, it can be a little daunting for parents due to the pressure to plan every minute of their child’s summer.

I have declared this summer to be different. My kids will have the kind of summer I had as a child. This summer will be less scheduled and more child-created, with more free play and outside time, and fewer video games. If, like me, you are tired of feeling pressure to entertain and educate your child every waking moment, use these tips to enjoy your summer—1970s Summer style.

Ditch the excess

Parents often feel the need to sign their kids up for as many camps, clinics and activities as possible to fill their days. In the ’70s, kids did not spend their days at baseball camp. They played baseball with the neighbor kids in the backyard. They didn’t attend theater and dance camps but instead made up their own show to perform for parents and siblings. Give your kids the gift of free time to play and try things on their own. If kids are away at camps all summer, they won’t have time to create their own adventures.

Unplug

Today we love our electronics. It is unlikely that many of us can make it more than a few hours without checking in with social media and responding to emails and texts. Our kids are no different, but limits should be set for screen time to allow kids to experience outdoor play, the joy of curling up with a good book and the time to use their imaginations. 1970s kids didn’t have apps, educational or not, to entertain them and fill their days. Instead, they used their imagination to create inventions with recycled trash, build forts with whatever they could find and cooperate with other kids to create games that could last for hours.

Go outside

“Go outside and come back when it’s dinner time.” That’s what my parents would say nearly every afternoon when I was growing up. There were no scheduled playdates, meetups at the park or specific activities planned. If I wanted to go to the park, I would ride my bike or walk there. If I wanted a friend to come along, I would swing by their house on the way and knock on the door to see if they wanted to join me. My parents had only a vague idea where I was or who I was with, and this was the norm.

While many parents don’t feel quite as safe giving their child such free rein, we can learn from this attitude. Kids do not need us to plan and intervene in their daily activities. Send them outside. When safe and physical distancing once again allows, have them knock on a neighbor’s door and ask them to play.

Here is a list of fun activities you can do outside:

• play in the sprinkler
• ride bikes
• draw with chalk
• drink from the hose

You can also learn to do cartwheels, jump rope, plant flowers or simply sit in the sun. Go outside and don’t come home until dinner.

Let it go

Parents today have so much pressure to live up to unrealistic standards. We feel we must provide educational crafts, plan interesting and affordable outings, provide well balanced extracurricular activities, all while cooking healthy, organic food, maintaining a clean house, a healthy marriage and balancing our careers simultaneously. The truth is none of us can keep up with it all. The 1970s parent, while balancing many of the career and family obligations we have today, did not put the type of pressure on themselves of today’s parent.

This summer, take a break from the pressures of social media, enjoy your kids, join them outside, play a board game, have a movie night, lounge by the pool (even a wading pool), eat a little junk food and a lot of delicious fresh food, and give yourself permission to let things go.

The key to giving your kids, and yourself, a 1970s summer is to unplug, enjoy and ease up on the pressures we place on ourselves. Let’s just enjoy our kids and enjoy every unscheduled moment because, before you know it, it will be time to head back to school.

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