This Monday was a weird one. I was starting my work week and the kids were wrapping up their one-day school week. I feel like December erupted into March, and now we crashed into June. I’ve lost all sense of time in a few months and this year just seems like it’s moving faster than ever.
In our house when school lets out routine slips away as well. Bedtimes become non-existent, snacks become dinners, and electronic usage almost doubles with tablets and cellphones. I know I’m not alone here. I can’t help but wonder how can I keep everyone happy and active over the summer if I can’t even manage a chore chart for my three kids? Well, the list maker in me believes that if I fill my calendar I’ll be organized for the summer. But the realist in me knows that that list will not reflect what really happens.
So today I realized something crucial, my inner child needs a break too or I’m going to break down. Typically, I have half-day Fridays in the summer months which I can’t take because my workload is so intense over the summer months. This summer my employer has given our organization a generous gift of Fridays off June through July. So, I have decided that I’m going to allow summer Fridays to happen and give myself some grace here. If I let go, maybe I will enjoy summer rather than abhor it.
The only list I started making is a list of things my kids want to do for the next six weeks. Right now, we have the following complied by my two youngest littles girls Keira 5, and Lily 8.
1. Pick up a craft.
2. Smithville – to eat candy and go on the train.
3. Go to Target.
4. Swim at Aunt Sylvia and Uncle Mikes house.
5. Visit the beach and make sandcastles.
6. Walk the boardwalk.
7. Get our nails done.
8. Visit the Funny Farm and feed the animals.
9. Go bowling.
10. Play minigolf.
11. Surprise day where mom chooses something to do.
12. Buy school supplies for next year.
For the exception of going to Target, I think we have a relatively healthy list of things to do. I’m looking forward to my Fridays with my girls. Most of the best memories I have from the summer as a child were the small moments. Saturday visits to Royale Crown in my Uncle Mike’s Bronco in the late 1980s, car rides with my grandparents, bike rides with friends and picking up seashells in Ocean City are just a few of my favorite memories.
This summer I want to indulge in all the small moments and let the worry go. I know I’m not perfect and the summer will more than likely fly by. Summer reading will get completed, the kids will eventually sleep, and snacks may end up being dinner, but the kids won’t be little forever. I would love to hear what you and your families are doing this summer. Please feel free to drop me a line and share.
Loraine Griffiths is a fifth-generation Hammontonian, graphic designer, wife and mother of three. She can be reached through email at LifeWithLoraine@gmail.com.