July is one of my all-time favorite months. It really is the superstar of summer.
June isn’t fully summer yet. School bleeds into its beginning, and the weather can be fickle. By August we’re already mentally preparing for summer’s swan song. Plus, August can be the hottest and most humid month of the year. But July?
It’s like a month-long party. Fireworks displays practically every night. Hot dogs and burgers on the grill. Tilt-a-whirls and elephant ears at myriad Michigan fairs. Vacations up north or somewhere beachy and beautiful. Perfectly warm. Sure, there are a few scorchers thrown into the mix, but mostly it’s just sweet shorts and sandals weather.
To use a musical reference, if Michigan summers were Destiny’s Child, June and August would be Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. July is pure Beyoncé, baby. It’s the marquee month of summer – and it’s arrived.
Wondering how to make the most of it? Check out our Fun Guide for what we consider the best family events of the month, make some blueberry cheesecake pops for your next get-together or ride some wicked cool roller coasters.
Oh, and while you’re celebrating this star-spangled season, check out our story on some of the different parenting practices from around the globe. Have you ever noticed how Asian restaurants don’t really have kids menus? I mean true Asian restaurants, not the Americanized versions. That’s because they don’t do kid-separate eating. Everyone eats the same foods. What a thought, huh? Can you imagine a world where you don’t have to make chicken nuggets or mac ‘n’ cheese just for your child each night?
Find out how the French kids are more patient than our American ones. Or how Nordic parents encourage their kids to get messy – and maybe why you should too.
American parents surely have our own bragging rights when it comes to how we do things, but it’s interesting to see how other cultures do this parenting gig a bit differently – and sometimes a bit better. We can learn from them, they can learn from us. The result? Maybe an easier parenting road and happier, healthier kids.
After all, we shouldn’t be so “crazy in love” with our kids that we act like they all have a “halo.” Maybe some ideas from around the world will help them get in “formation” and we can turn some of the lemons of parenting into “lemonade.”
