Summer Vacation...the stay-at-home-mom's nemesis
June 17th. The official first day of summer vacation.
Summer Vacation, 1977. Summer Vacation; what a beautiful time of year! Remember how we would begin dreaming of Summer Vacation in January (right after we stopped dreaming about Christmas)? Remember how we would yearn for Summer Vacation by March and be desperate for Summer Vacation by May? Like really desperate? We'd look out the windows of our classrooms while sweating our prepubescent butts off and fantasize about swimming in a friend's pool or going to the beach, or lounging in our tv room with the window air-condition blasting at "maximum high". We'd long for the piercing sound of the last bell of the school year to peel out and announce our long-awaited freedom. Yes, yes, I remember it well.
Summer Vacation, 2011. Summer Vacation already?! Seriously?? Weren't they just home for a week in the Spring? I'm not ready to entertain them for 12 weeks! I'm good for four, maybe five weeks then I'm going to have to either come up with some new material or start a loop and hope they don't realize it. They're young, they'll be thrilled with the repetition, right?
You know if it weren't for the mind numbing fear of their boredom, I'd be more excited about being with them for three Summer months. Really! I do miss them during the year when our daily interaction consists of nagging them to get dressed and eat their breakfast to nagging them to finish their homework to nagging them to go to sleep so they can wake up for school in the morning. I look forward to the occasionally lazy morning and living our days without a strict schedule. I like the fact that they're as happy with swimming in a pool as they are about going to the beach or, sometimes, sitting in the air-conditioned family room watching something completely un-educational on television. It's all okay; it's Summer Vacation!
I can't say I look forward to Summer Vacation these days the way I did when I was 12, but I have to admit that I don't dread it either. The older they get, the more I realize my time is limited with them. With them actually wanting to hang out with me and be satisfied with play-doh or bike rides or the water slide in the backyard...most of the time.
Look, I realize that by early August, "I'm bored" will be the phrase of the day and by late July I'll be rolling my eyes so much I'll be tripping left and right over my own feet, but for now, I have to will my optimism high though my itinerary is short and try hard to meet this challenge head-on! The biggest challenge will be NOT referring to it as a challenge!
It's all good, as they say. It'll all work out. Besides, if I remember correctly from 1977, Summer is over in the blink of an eye. Even I can handle that!
~Eileen Cassidy Bishop *
