If you are anything like me you aren’t ready for summer to end. Yes, you know it has to at some point, but not right now.
My newsfeed has been filling up with kids going back to school already. Cute kids in new clothes, holding new lunchboxes and backpacks, stand dutifully with a smile for first day of school pictures. The pictures melt my heart and make my toes curl all at the same time!
“It’s only the beginning of August! There’s still some summer left!” I want to yell at the school officials who have decided that kids must return. Why do they have to go back so early?
Thankfully we homeschool so we don’t have to worry about summer being over yet. Maybe you are like me and aren’t ready for summer to end either. Here are some sure fire ways to know if you are suffering from the “Summer-Can’t-Be-Over-Yet” Blues…
1.
You have no desire to make your kids wear clothes all day. Swimming suits are easy and cut down on laundry, amiright? Sure, cute new outfits are great, but they come with a price- extra laundry. Who wants that kind of responsibility? Not this lady! Not only that, swimsuits don’t get dirty like regular clothes; I mean, all they have to do is jump in a pool or run through a sprinkler and laundry is done!
2.
You have no desire to set the alarm even earlier than normal to meet a bus or drop kids off. 30 more minutes of sleep? Yes, thank you very much!
3.
You have no desire to worry about bedtime routines. When summer ends and school starts, sleep is even more important (even when you homeschool). Right now I like not having to worry so much about what time they get to bed. Sure, we still have a routine (I like my peace and quiet at night!) but if they go to bed late I don’t stress about it as much as I do during the school year. It’s so much nicer on all of us.
4.
You have no desire to worry excessively over dinner time. Its’ 9 o’clock and you’re just coming in from playing so we’re just sitting down to eat? No problem! Oh, everyone’s having a bad day? Ice cream for dinner for everyone! That kind of attitude just doesn’t seem to fly during the school year- schedules really need to be followed and brains need more sustenance than that. Of course, you don’t want that happening all the time in the summer, but occasionally it’s fun to eat sundaes for supper while watching the fireflies flit around in the backyard.
5.
Speaking of schedules- you have no desire to have to stick so strictly to a schedule. Want to go to the zoo on a Tuesday morning? Let’s go! Play date at the park on Thursday? I’m in! Stayed up late eating too much ice cream for dinner? Ah, sleeping in is the best!
6.
You realize you just can’t get the beach out of your mind. You can feel the sand between your toes and hear the waves crashing on the shore- oh wait, that’s just the kids dragging in dirt from the yard and pots and pans crashing in the kitchen. But the fact remains, you want to feel the sand and hear the waves. You dream of sitting beneath your umbrella, your perfect little darlings building sandcastles beside you, and a gentle breeze caressing your hair. Ah, paradise! Summer just isn’t complete without a day at the beach!
7.
You still want to catch fireflies, build forts, make mud pies, watch the kids run through the sprinkler, have silly string wars, ride bikes, get an ice cream cone from the ice cream man, and do so many other summertime activities with your kids. Once the days begin to change and the school bus comes regularly each day, it gets harder and harder to do those things.
We may not be able to stop summer from coming to an end, but we don’t have to let go quietly. We can enjoy the last little bits that are left to enjoy. Today we might just have to play all day, and then stay up late, eat ice cream till we pop, and watch the fireflies twinkle in our backyard. We’ll cling to summer for just a bit longer.
Craving more Quick Takes like you crave more summer? Head on over to This Ain’t the Lyceum to read more 7 Quick Takes!