For the first time ever, I’m not dreading the fall. I’m almost looking forward to it—a scary thing to admit when it’s only the Fourth of July.
I’ve always been a summer person. After struggling with my kids through the school year, summer could never come fast enough. It’s not only the warm weather, the pool and the flip-flops, it’s the lack of carpool, homework and rigorous schedule.
But somehow this summer things changed. Sure there’s no homework but there’s plenty of carpooling and a crazier schedule than ever. Swim team used to be the only summer activity, but as the kids get older – other things seem to be creeping in. Just a short lacrosse camp squeezed in here and extra swim team practices there. Lately, I find myself leaving and returning to the pool five times a day to get everyone where they need to be.
Luckily, I have a core group of pool friends who are either there to keep an eye on my other kids while I’m doing all the shuttling, or who are willing to help out with the shuttling. I don’t think I’d survive this summer without them.
Maybe I’m looking at it with rose-colored glasses, but this past school year was almost a breeze. There’s that big chunk of uninterrupted time during the day to get work done and as the kids get older, homework has been less of an issue for me.
So for now, I’m trying to soak up the sun and remember what it is I love about summer. But for once I’m not dreading fall.
After the heat this week, I’m not even dreading trading my flip-flops in for clogs.
I’m not sure I know who I am any more.
FranklyStein is a blog by Chesapeake Family Magazine editor Betsy Stein who lives in Catonsville with her husband, Chris, and four children, Maggie, 13, Lilly, 11, Adam, 11, and Jonah, 7.
