Summer always holds so much promise in May: Almost every weekend is free and the options for fun are endless, if only time and money came as easy as the good ideas.
Working at home, summer is as much of a hassle as it is fun. My productivity slides as hand-washing turns into a water fight and reading into a wrestling match. I'm convinced school was invented to preserve the lives of younger siblings, more than it was for education.
Now as the backpacks are loaded and lined up for the morning hustle, I'm in a bit of denial that summer is over. Every weekend was full, lots of money was spent, but many of my summer "must-do's" have been left undone. Every summer seems to end this way, as the last of the sand slips through your fingers, and the school year saddles you for another nine months.
For me, the perfect summer remains elusive, but the kids seem to find a little fun in each day, and through them I'm reminded what summer vacation is all about. Here's what they taught me this year:
1. 3 Months is Only 12 Weeks (or so)
As soon as the last school bell rings, the clock starts ticking down. I remember driving by the electric billboard at school a few days ago, in June and seeing "School Starts September 2nd", and thinking "Ahhh, we have the whole summer". Last week I drove by it and was panic-stuck when I realized we only had 4 days left! The time in between just evaporated. I blame all the plans and activities: T-ball, parties, fairs, day trips, family events... all things we wanted to do, but all taking time to plan and participate, leaving just a few "dog days" to relax and do nothing. The lesson, you may have time to do it all, but you won't have time to do nothing.
2. Summer In Two Words: Hot Dogs
Turns out you can actually survive on grilled processed meat for three months straight. Food cooked outdoors always tastes better, especially because Daddy is the grill master in our house. The lesson, summer tastes like hot dogs and brats...with the occasional pasta salad.
3. It's Never Too Cold To Swim
I'd be surprised to hear that we cracked 80 degrees for more than 10 days this summer, but the same kids that are "frrrrreeeeezzzing" when the house is 67 degrees in the winter are doing "canyon balls" (as they call them) into the pool when it's only 65 degrees outside. The lesson, don't let a little weather ruin a pool day.
4. Rain Makes Mud, Mud Makes Messy
Messy makes my babies... the most happy. Even bad summer weather has a silver lining - mud is always fun, even when mom has to dig it out of your ear canal. The lesson, washing machines are a necessary and important investment. If you're feeling extra economical, you can pre-treat in the pool.
5. Walks Rock
Even though I moonlight as a "stay-at-home" mom, behind closed doors there's a computer with demanding (while lovely) clients who usually need something yesterday or at the latest tomorrow. The kids get bored with me working, so to break up the day we'd go outside for short periods during my typical work day and burn off a little energy. The favorite activity was walking our dirt road searching for agates, and we'd always find some, along with other pretty rocks. The lesson, when the house can't contain you anymore, take a walk for rocks.
6. Nothing Can Be Anything
When the kids are being good and I think "now's the time to get stuff done!" Sometimes laziness intervenes and I'm privy to the hilarity of my kids' imaginations - whether the boys are pretending to be my husband and his friends - driving tractors and baling hay or my daughter is making sand cookies to peddle to her "hard-working" brothers, taking the time to watch them always makes me smile. Sometimes, I even laugh out loud, like a rainy day they all donned sunglasses, vests, old walkie talkies and toy pistols as they stealthy crept along the walls, agents with the "FBI", in search of sneaky snake (that was just an old plastic snake). Perhaps a better job for animal control, but the FBI got him. The lesson, for the kids nothing can be anything, for me the "anything" is as precious as it is hilarious.
7. Summer's Just Enough Time To Not Severely Injure Your Sibling.
Summer vacation is the perfect time for the "nights and weekends" siblings during the school year, to reconnect. To remember why they love each other, and shortly there after to remember why they despise each other. By the end of July, the sharing and caring wears thin and being shacked up with siblings for weeks on end gets old. The joy of togetherness fades until the kids can't decide what piece of living room furniture to sit on without a wrestling match. They hide the remote from each other so many times they can't find it when their dad gets home and for some reason the busted toy pick-up with the missing seats and no hood is suddenly the most desirable vehicle out of 2,173 to play with. The battles continue outdoors, in deciding who gets to throw the ball for the dog, who gets to open the mailbox and who gets to use what shovel in the sandbox. School and it's age segregating structure keeps the kids from each other for 8+ hours a day, ensuring the youngest survive until the older siblings are too cool to play with them anyway. The lesson, it's quite possible school saves you trips to the ER and a mental breakdown or two.
8. The Growing Season
For 9 months kids are behind locked doors learning, but for 3 months they are home growing. All the walking, swimming and biking does a kid body good, but they're also growing in other ways - without being told what to do at all times, they get to do what they want, developing their personality, confidence and imagination. And being home to help with chores, they learn skills that serve them well all their life. I can't believe how much my kiddos grew and changed this summer. The lesson, summer fun is learning in disguise.
I (like most parents, I imagine) want my kids to have the best summer vacation. Yet, the work that goes into planning the "big stuff" seems to zap the fun out of it. Or, even after creating the perfect outing/event/activity the kids aren't nearly as impressed with the idea as you were.
I guess the ideas left on my list will keep until next summer, but to make me feel better I asked the kids if they had a good summer and got a resounding "yes", whew! They loved the fairs, parties and day trips, but they all agreed on enjoying the little things, especially have a "huge" swimming pool this year (I guess 30" deep is huge when you're under 10). As sad as it seems to let summer go, fall is filled with it's own kind of fun and lessons to learn, and if you can't find anything to do, I know from experience you can make mud all year long.
