A Summer Fill-in-the-Blank for Parents
Laughter for parents in summer is ________. Suggested word: Essential
Earlier this summer, I declared that humor is an important part of this season. In A Summer Manifesto of Sorts, I wrote:
“I’ve always been a ‘you have to laugh or you’re going to cry’ person. And for the record, there is nothing wrong with crying, but I like to laugh more. I am that person who makes jokes when things are hard, for better or worse.”
With that in mind, I present you with a summer fill-in-the-blank, kind of like Mad Libs (but not going to call it that because I do not need to get sued). The footnotes provide guidance and suggestions, but you can also do what my kids do, and rotate the words: fluffy, lamp, poop, and fart throughout the story.
A Summer Fill-in-the-Blank: E-mail to a Friend
Follow the footnotes for helpful guidance and suggestions for each blank.
RE: S.O.S. How is your summer going?
To: My friend, a beacon of sanity
From: Your friend, parent to children during summer
Hi! How have you been?
This summer has been very________1. The kids have been in _______2 hours of camp. We have been filling the rest of the time with __________3. As far as sibling relationships go, the kids have really been _________4. In my downtime, I have become really good at _________5.
Today we went to the park and the ________6. At the park, there was_____________ 7 shade left in a _________ 8of the park. We used _________9 for sun protection. The kids said it was ________10 day. And tomorrow, we will __________11. There are _________12days left of summer. And I feel ________13 about it. I just keep reminding myself that ______________14.
Hope you are doing well. How is your summer going?
Best,
Your friend
Note: I will respond to this email while I hide behind the locked door of the bathroom.
Adjective. Suggestions: hot, busy, relaxing, befuddling, crushing, unendurable, or delightful
Number. Suggestions: 0, -20, 100, infiniti
Activity. Suggestions: sleep, journaling, mud wrestling, complaining, glass blowing
Adjective. Suggestions: peaceful, resentful, belligerent, friendly
Activity. Suggestions: Standing in front of the cold fridge, staring into space, acrobatics, hosting seances
Places for children. Suggestions: Splash pad, emergency room, Nether, a witch’s cottage in the forest, grocery store
Amount. Suggestions: a sliver, ample, zilch, zip, nada
Location. Suggestions: corner, mud puddle, hornet’s nest
Substance. Suggestions: goo, blinding spray sunscreen, mud, almond butter sandwiches
Description. Suggestions: the best, the worst, a mediocre, a needs improvement, an approaching satisfaction
Activity. Suggestions: go to the zoo, visit the science museum while picking up a stomach bug, stand in line for an activity that my children will complain about, learn quantum physics
Amount. Suggestions: A billion, too many, not enough, an amount Goldilocks would approve of
Feeling. Suggestions: Ecstatic, glum, enigmatic, melancholy, jolly, bitter
Phrase/idea trending on social media about summer. Suggestions: “They only have 18 summers at home,” “We are having a 90s summer”, “Kids can be bored”, “I’m a lighthouse parent”, “We are creating core memories.”
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It's way too easy to get way too serious about living... Thanks for helping to lift the mood!