Summer is Almost Over . . . I’ll Get the Confetti!

Yes, you read that right: summer is almost over! I know there are some parents out there thinking, “oh, no, only one more week with my precious babies”. Our school’s parent group is organizing a “Cheers & Tears” breakfast for parents who are sad and depressed so they can commiserate together. Parents are bemoaning the idea of waking up early to get the kids to school on time, of buying school clothes, of coordinating bus schedules and after-school clubs and sports.

I am not one of those parents. For one thing, my kids do not sleep in – ever. They can go to bed at 11pm after a day full of activities, and they are waking up at 7:30am because the sun is up and clearly that means all humans should be awake. My kids need things to do: boredom is not their friend, and I am not proficient at entertaining them 16 hours a day. School, for them, is entertainment: their friends are there, they get snack and lunch, they have playgrounds and PE and music and art, and if they learn things in the process of going to school, well, that’s just an extra bonus.

I also do not adhere to the idea that we have to buy piles of kid clothes just because school is about to start. I don’t get it. My kids are still little enough that they could hit a growth spurt at any time. Why would I buy a bunch of clothes that fit them today when there’s a chance it won’t fit them in a month? My youngest has been demanding I buy her new “long shorts” (aka “pants”) because she literally tore holes in all her pants last winter and has none left. But we live in Texas; it’s going to be an oven until at least October, probably November, which means she has 3 months left before she really starts to need pants. So I’m going to wait 2.75 months before I buy them. That’s how I roll.

Maybe it’s just me, but my kids have lots of energy. Having multiple months of no structure really just means that they start to act crazier and crazier. I don’t have lesson plans that require them to pay attention or focus on a task. Sure, I come up with things to do sometimes, but it isn’t a full day worth of activities. Is this what other moms do? Is this the secret to surviving summer?

Even now, as I type, I am listening to 4 children run amok in the playroom upstairs. Only 2 of them are mine. I am counting down the next 56 minutes, at which point I can justifiably send home the other kids so mine can eat dinner. My kids love when other kids come over to play, but then they bicker with their friends about what to do and how to do it and, inevitably, at least one of them pouts and has a tantrum for some reason. I mean, honestly, it’s a miracle either of them have any friends at all with their attitudes.

screaming face

So, no complaints from me about the end of summer. I am the parent who will drop off the kids in their classrooms with a giant smile and then enjoy a full 6.5 hours of silence in the house. Maybe I’ll listen to my adult music instead of KidsBop. Maybe I’ll read. I might even watch something on TV that isn’t animated or the Food Network. Last year, I celebrated the first day of school by going to Hobby Lobby and shopping without having to say “don’t touch that” 500 times, and then I took a nice, long bath. It was a glorious day.

You know what else happens when school starts? Extracurricular activities! Not only can my kids spend all day playing (and learning, hopefully) with their friends at school, they can spend the afternoons playing with other friends on sports teams. We will have sports 5 days a week most of the fall, maybe 6 depending on how some games are scheduled. That means we will always have something to do, always something to burn off some energy. Also, my oldest kid is now old enough to join clubs at school that meet after school – engineering, art, reading, or choir.

So, yes: I am happy summer is almost over. We need the routine that school brings to our lives. My kids need the regular access to friends. They need to play sports and expend energy and run around. The temperature needs an excuse to not feel like 110 degrees every time I walk outside (come on, Fall). And, let’s be honest, we all – at this point – need a little separation from each other to maintain what’s left of our sanity.

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