I'm working on a story and I have the idea fully formed in my head, now it's a matter of getting it put down on paper. The problem I'm having is the story takes place over years of the characters lives. I don't want to drag it out, but I also worry I'm skipping to much if I keep using 'over the next few months, blah blah blah.' How do I find a balance?
Skipping is fine. To avoid the repeated use of "a few months" you could use some real-world thing as a "clock"--seasons, plants, the school year, the religious year, holidays, a child's growth, an adult's aging, a pet's growth or aging, a plant's growth. (The sapling being planted in one scene could be twice as tall and blooming in another, and a tall shade tree by the end of the book.)
Yeah, nothing wrong with time skips. I'd avoid summarizing, though, probably -- pick out the events that are important and 'show' them in as much depth as needed, and skip over the unimportant stuff entirely.
