We Only Get 18 Summers

Can you believe there’s only one month of summer left?

Every year, summer arrives with so much excitement. We make plans, dream about weekends at the lake, family vacations, backyard barbecues, and evenings that stretch just a little longer. And then, somehow, it’s August, and we’re wondering where the time went.

A few years ago, someone shared a thought with me that I haven’t been able to shake:

We only get 18 summers with our children.

Whether that number is exactly right isn’t really the point. What matters is the reminder that these summers are finite. Childhood doesn’t wait for us to finish our to-do lists.

This summer, I found myself looking at a photograph of my children on the water. It’s not a perfectly posed image. It’s simply a moment in time—a reminder of boat rides, fishing, waterskiing, laughter, and the joy of being together.

Looking at that photograph reminded me to slow down and soak in what’s left of the season.

The boat rides.
The swims in the lake.
The fishing trips.
The late bedtimes.
The ice cream runs.
The quiet moments when everyone is simply together.

These are the memories our children will carry with them long after summer is over.

As a photographer, I often think about why photographs matter so much. Years from now, we won’t just look at an image and remember what we looked like. We’ll remember how that season felt. We’ll remember the sound of laughter, the warm sun on our faces, the tiny hands reaching for ours, and the feeling of watching our children grow right before our eyes.

Photographs become anchors to moments that pass far too quickly.

If there’s one thing I hope for during this last month of summer, it’s not that everything is perfect. It’s that we choose presence over perfection.

Say yes to one more swim.

One more boat ride.

One more evening outside.

One more family adventure.

One more memory.

Because these childhood summers are fleeting, and one day they’ll simply be stories we tell and photographs we treasure.

Here’s to making the most of the last month of summer. 🤍

— Maryam Southam