The Great Wind Down

I can see the light at the end of this long tunnel of summer. We have gotten the car back.  We are getting school clothes for the boy.  He is excited to start school in almost a week.  I am excited too but for entirely different reasons.  Things appear to be falling back into some kind of order around here.  I like it.

Next week is the last official holiday week and, with that, I have been reflecting on how this summer went.  As most of you may have noted, not too well.  Even though most of the catastrophes were well out of my control, I am taking great notice of the things that were my responsibility – the days of horrible parenting skills and the days when I absolutely sucumbed to twelve year old antics when trying to deal with a six year old (“Mom, you’re being mean”; me: “No, you are!”). 

This was my first go at summer vacation.  I, admittedly, have quite a lot to learn.  It was a lot more arduous than I ever expected.  It is not like the preschool years.  Kids aren’t used to a full day of interaction in those years.  Before my son started kindergarten, he was very adapted to my half his-time half my-time routine.  Once they start school, though, they are very used to 8am-3pm stimulation..  I can hack it on a good day, but every day is not a good day and sometimes I just don’t have the steam to be that lady.  I can only make egg carton rocket ships five or six times or pretend to enjoy the redundant, quasi-annoying puppet show before I get a little stir crazy… Maybe by the time both kids are in school I will have a better grasp on this reality of summer holiday… a gal can always hope, no?