It’s been fifteen days since the summer break began, and like most parents, I’ve been trying to spend as much time as possible with my nine-year-old daughter. On paper, it sounds wonderful—slow mornings, extra cuddles, endless conversations, and making memories together.

But trust me, summer breaks are a lot simpler for kids than they are for parents.

The biggest challenge? The complete disappearance of routine.

My daughter has one firm rule for summer vacations—no routine whatsoever. Her argument is simple—she follows a timetable all year when school is in session, so summer is her time to do exactly the opposite. And honestly, I can’t argue with that logic.

Summer breaks have a funny way of turning organized parents into people who have no idea what day it is.

This blog is about all the things my daughter and I have been doing together to make these summer holidays meaningful. Although, if I’m being completely honest, I’m not entirely sure how meaningful any of it is. We’ve had lazy mornings, random snack breaks, unfinished homework, spontaneous outings, movie marathons, and countless conversations about things that only make sense to a nine-year-old.

Starting Summer Break with Wonder at the Taj Mahal

It was entirely my idea to visit the Taj Mahal as soon as the summer break started because Vani had recently read about it in a book. One of the perks of living in Noida is that Agra is just a two-hour drive away, so we set off on a comfortable road trip, feeling quite pleased with our parenting choices.

As excited as we were to show our daughter one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Vani had other priorities. Her focus was crystal clear: reach the hotel, change into a swimsuit, and get into the pool as quickly as possible. Sometimes I wonder—is it just my child, or are all kids secretly unimpressed by world-famous monuments?

We visited the Taj Mahal the very next morning, and things didn’t exactly go as I had imagined. In my head, there was a moment waiting to happen. Vani would stand there in awe, gazing at the beauty of Taj, appreciating its history, architecture, and magnificence.

In reality my husband and I stood admiring the Taj Mahal, taking pictures, and soaking in its grandeur, while Vani’s main concern was breakfast.

“Can we go now?”

“What time is breakfast?”

“How long do we have to stay here?”

The rest of the trip followed a very predictable schedule: breakfast, pool, room, lunch, pool, room, snack, pool, room. 

Nevertheless, we had a lovely time. We admired the beauty of the Taj Mahal, appreciated Shah Jahan’s vision, and happily returned to Noida.

If you ask Vani about her Agra trip, I’m fairly certain she’ll say, “The pool was amazing.” The Taj Mahal probably won’t even make it into her top three highlights. 

A Not-So-Serious Attempt at Learning Basketball 

So, this summer break, my only request to Vani was that she learn at least one sport. Not because I am trying to raise a national champion, but simply because sports are good for health, growth, and getting children away from screens for a few hours.

The next challenge? Finding a good coach.

Finding a decent sports coach where we live feels a bit difficult. And, since the search was taking forever, I came up with what I thought was a brilliant plan— ask my husband to play basketball with her.

There was just one tiny problem.

My husband has never played basketball in his life.

But he is far too sweet to say no to either of us.

After several days of gentle reminders, the two of them finally headed to the basketball court.

For the first half hour, they mostly inspected the court. For the next half hour, they inspected the boys already playing on the court.

Then they exchanged a few jokes and eventually started playing.

From a distance, it looked less like a basketball practice and more like a father- daughter dance routine. 

To be fair, they did try their best. There was dribbling. There was running. There were several attempts at shooting the ball.

The Movie Marathon We Never Signed Up For

Every day begins with the same argument — who gets to choose the movie today? Three people, three completely different tastes, and somehow only one television. But that’s exactly how we like it.

I have always believed that there shouldn’t be a television in every bedroom. There should be one television in the house, and everyone should gather around it, watching whatever has been chosen, whether they like it or not. It may not be the most amazing arrangement, because it comes with conversations, negotiations, and plenty of eye-rolling. But somehow, we have managed to stick to this rule.

Coming back to our movie marathon, watching Harry Potter during summer breaks has become a family tradition. No matter how many times we’ve seen it, someone always volunteers to start from the first movie again. It’s something all three of us genuinely enjoy together.

That said, I do try my best to keep Vani away from screens as much as possible. But summer break is an exception. The morning begins, and so does the television. Before breakfast is even ready, the father and daughter are already halfway through Hotel Transylvania — their favourite movie and the safest option to avoid disagreements.

Weekdays are still manageable. We usually save a new movie for the evening, preferably one that Vani hasn’t watched already. But weekends are a different story altogether. One day it’s an animated film, the next it’s Avengers, and very rarely — I mean very rarely — it’s a movie of my choice.

The Day Play Dates Becomes Café Meet-Ups

Earlier, summer breaks meant taking her to a friend’s house or having her friends over. The kids would run around, create chaos, and somehow find a hundred things to do together. But things have changed. Now, play dates have very cutely turned into café meet-ups.

A few days ago, I took Vani to meet her friend at a café nearby. Her friend’s mom dropped her off, and the girls settled down with their drinks and snacks. At first, they were a little shy and awkward, not quite sure how to begin the conversation. But within minutes, Vani gathered some courage and said,

“Mumma, if you don’t mind, can you please sit at the next table? We want to talk about something.”

Apparently, they needed privacy for some very important nine-year-old discussions and secret-sharing sessions.

Honestly, I was relieved. On the way there, I was thinking— How do I entertain them? Will they enjoy spending time with me? Will I get bored? 

But the moment they politely pushed me away, I realized that entertaining them was no longer my responsibility. My role had been downgraded to chauffeur and bill payer—and I was perfectly fine with that.

As I sat at the next table watching them whisper, giggle, and sip their iced chocolates, it struck me that she is growing up. Slowly, quietly, and right in front of my eyes.

The play dates I had imagined for her are changing. They are becoming conversations instead of games, café meet-ups instead of playground visits, and friendships built on secrets rather than toys.

This summer, Vani has grown a little more.

She is no longer just going on play dates.

She is officially attending girls’ dates.

The summer break isn’t over yet, and neither are the stories.

I’m sure Vani and I will collect many more little memories before the holidays come to an end. If you enjoyed reading about our summer adventures, I might just share a few more stories from this season.

I’d love to know what your summer breaks looked like as a child—or what they’re like with your little ones today.

Until then, sending you lots of love, hugs, and a little summer sunshine. ♥️