For some children, summer vacation is over. For others, it’s almost over. The end of summer often brings mixed emotions for both parents and children. In Michigan where I grew up, school didn’t begin until after Labor Day. I always loved summer because I love sunshine and warm weather. Growing up near Lake Michigan was an added summertime bonus. In my teen years, my friend and I would drive out to the lake on Labor Day and watch the sunset. It was closure for us—the end of a season, but a beginning of another.

Whether your summer vacation was spent in the neighborhood, on a lake, or on a road trip, you can help your children remember these past few months. Your summer experiences can be used to stimulate some great mealtime talk. Here are some questions to get you started:

• What was your favorite day of the whole summer?
• What was the most exciting thing that happened?
• What was the scariest thing that happened?
• Did you make any new friends?
• What is something new you learned?
• How did you enjoy God’s creation?
• What is your favorite summer food?
• What do you want to remember about this summer?

If you have the time and energy, record their answers in a journal or computer file. Their answers and memories will be worth preserving.

Here’s to summer sunsets and happy memories!

Crystal