It seems a bit ironic that the same year legislation was introduced before the Maryland General Assembly to push back the start of school until after Labor Day, school started two weeks before Labor Day.
It’s cruel and unusual punishment for kids and parents. It’s true that Labor Day is as late as it could possibly be this year, but it still feels like we’ve been robbed of the last lazy days of summer. Most of my neighborhood went back to school Monday. My girls went back today. My older son goes back Monday, which is a bit more palatable. Only my younger son has a true summer — he’s got two more weeks of vacation before his school starts. But at this point, what’s the point?
I loved when all of my kids were in the grammar school that believes in a true summer break. We would take a late vacation and enjoy the reduced crowds at the beach. We would roll back into town on Labor Day and have one day to get organized before school started. But no more. High school and sports intervened with that vacation plan. And now I have one very bored child on my hands.
What does a 5th grader do when most of his neighborhood buddies are back in school, the pool is all but closed and his mom is working? Might just be a two week long video fest. Maybe it would have been better to send him back to school with everyone else and put him out of his misery.
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FranklyStein is a blog by Chesapeake Family Magazine editor Betsy Stein who lives in Catonsville with her husband, Chris, and four children, Maggie, 16, Lilly, 14, Adam, 14, and Jonah, 10.
