Forgive me, Santa Claus, but summer is the real very best time of year, especially if you’re from Florida. It’s certainly my favorite. I don’t think there is a single person reading this that can’t vividly remember the anticipation on the last day of school before summer break. Elbows pressed against the desktop, butt already lifted off the chair, anxiously waiting for the bell to ring and bring with it the freedom of three months away from the classroom. It’s so exciting as a kid, knowing that there are months of ungraded fun ahead of you: summer camps, family vacations and visits, pool parties with friends. As usual, though, the freedom for a child to waste his or her summer is illusive; the parents ultimately decide what will become of the time, and this makes summer a powerful tool for those that recognize it. Whether as children or adults, we Americans seem to be constantly consumed by our self-perpetuating to-do lists; we often do work that doesn’t satisfy us to reach goals that will never be satisfied, shirking time for ourselves and our families. Summertime is the chance to neglect no more—to focus on new years’ resolutions, learn a new skill, or get in touch with yourself or your children. How will you spend your summer? How will your children spend theirs? Summer is the time to relax, but don’t let its definition deceive you. Summer can be a time of labor, but one of the rare opportunities to labor towards the goals that your busy life may not have room for otherwise. Oftentimes, these goals we don’t have time for are the ones that will truly satisfy and provide us with a deeper sense of relaxation.

This summer, use the extra free time that your family will have to earn and share some authentic happiness. Send your kids to a summer camp with a meaning deeper than daycare; achieve a goal that’s been on your mind; take your kids to a matinee; bring your family to volunteer at an organization that has a mission you admire; strengthen your bond as a family by spending an afternoon a week with a counselor; start reading again; establish an exercise regimen; learn a new skill; fix a problem that’s been holding you back.Summer is the annual reminder that we can all be something bigger. Make it a constructive summer. GARRETT

Cindy Fabico, MA, LMHC, Founder of Life Skills Resource Group

The counselors and life coaches at Life Skills Resource Group Orlando are available to work with your your family this summer or anytime of the year.  Amy Smith & Kim Murphy are skilled in working with children under the age of 12 and their families.  Cindy Fabico,  Carma Kuhn, Angie Moates, and Maribel Nieves have vast experience working with families groups with children age 12 and older to bridge communication gaps and address anger that has gone unresolved for years.  Yolanda Brailey, Cindy Fabico, Carma Kuhn, Maribel Nieves, and Angie Moates can help you get your marriage back on track-children and teens who come from a home in which the parents are unhappy or unfulfilled in their relationships feel less secure about life and have a more pessimistic worldview.  If it is individual counseling you seek then every one of our Orlando counselors and life coaches can help you.  Visit the OUR TEAM page and read the bios of each counselor to determine who you would like to contact for your FREE phone consultation.  It is never too late to begin your quest for authentic happiness.  CINDY