My only question to you right now is….. Does summer ever end? Honestly, it has always been my favorite time of the year, but I feel like this summer is lasting forever. Now keep in mind….. this is the first summer that I haven’t been working….. ever. Every beautiful summer day that I had to go off to work, I felt so disappointed that I had to leave my family and I thought I was missing out on so much….. my perspective has changed quite a bit.
I have read several blogs the past week and the hot topic seems to be getting the kiddos back to school….. Overcoming fears of sending them off, separation anxiety, dreaded classroom visits. Well my friends, that is not me. I literally would have dropped them off today if I thought somebody would be there to watch them! Some of you may have your free time back already ( I am truly happy for you) But my countdown continues….. 3 weeks, to the day.
Truth be told….. it hasn’t been all that bad. We have spent way more time together than we ever have before. We have had several new experiences, a lot of laughs, and our Bucket List (with fire ban modifications) is over half way complete. I think the past two weeks just brought us all to the breaking point….. You take several days of unbearably hot weather, add it to layers of smoke from surrounding wildfires, and you get one family trapped inside the house….. going crazy!
It was rough, I can not lie. But Sunday? Glorious rain….. followed by clear smoke free skies. The past few days have been amazing and just in the nick of time. Now we have to cram what’s left for outdoor activities on our List, school shopping, multiplication prep, 3 separate Open House nights and running for our Tough Mudder training into the next few weeks….. and we are Golden. Should be fun 🙂
The best advice that I could give to any parent, especially if this is your first time sending your little ones off to school….. Don’t stress yourself out about it. It is way harder for you than it is for them. I remember dreading putting Emma on the bus for the first time. I was expecting an absolute melt down, and tears, from me. (I had no idea what to expect from her)….. We were walking out to met the bus, after I talked to her about what was going to happen for probably the 100th time; and she took off. Ran right to the bus. Said hello to the driver, got in her seat, and waved good-bye. Done.
School is a great place for children to be….. they love it. They are sponges. They need constant information and new experiences thrown at them, and that is where they get it. You can always monitor and check in on them through out the year if you feel you need to. I volunteer at both my youngest’s schools. I do one day a week at each. I get to see how they do in class, interact with the other kids, and contribute to their classroom….. It is a lot of fun. There is not a school that I have seen that couldn’t use some extra help. If you have a child that is struggling or that you have concerns about….. go more often. Or, it may be enough to just show up and have lunch with them every once in a while. Whatever works best for you and your little ones. Just don’t be afraid to give them some space. They need it….. And so do you.
I am faced with a new and challenging experience this year though, as well. My oldest is a Senior in High School….. that’s scary. Along with making sure that he graduates, I have got to make sure that he is capable of taking care of himself. He is a great cook, so he is a step ahead of most, but I wouldn’t say he is ready for the real world….. at all. I haven’t even made him get a job! Any great advice you have out there for this stage would be super helpful…..
Where ever you are in your parenting journey….. I wish you the best. I hope your summer siege has ended and the school year is a successful one!
Cheers 🙂
themindofnatalie 