Two years ago, while reading Hands Free Mama by Rachel Stafford, I had so many aha moments about truly being present with my daughter, friends and family. I became the epitome of a hands-free mama, taking in every moment with my daughter. I stopped juggling a million things at once, I put down the phone and returned to making memories with simple beach days and backyard nights. This summer, I went from hands free mama to free spirit kid and I’ll never go back.
My story is simple because the real change happened when I joined in the fun. Instead of capturing the photos, watching and cheering my daughter on from the sidelines, I jumped right into the moment. I went from lounging on the beach roundie to riding the waves with her. I went from summer camp counselor to just one of the girls toting a large bag of snacks because really, we all need snacks.
A friend recently made my day by saying I looked younger than my age, I credit so much of that to my inner child letting loose this summer. I have the bruises and scrapes of an elementary school kid gone wild from the summer adventures. Fresh scrapes on the knees next to my many roller skating scars from a true childhood unplugged. Not only am I providing an unplugged childhood for my little one, this mama is relieving her days!
Summer fun started with a slip ‘n slide demo by me, because really how else will the kids know how to do it. Take my advice, you may want to modify the demo a bit. I went all in, running and diving to the slide. It was seriously a blast until the next day when my back was on fire. Oops!
Holding hands and jumping waves with my daughter has been the highlight of the summer. I jumped right into the swell last weekend and went for it.
It has been so long since I can remember a summer jammed packed with pure fun and games. My body hates me some days, but I’ve never felt so refreshed, so energized and just alive. I dare each of you to ride the waves and ditch that summer camp counselor hat. Jump into the water and let the next wave tumble you around a little. Leave the beach with salty skin and sandy hair, it’s so worth it!
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