School's Out

This week marked the beginning of Summer vacation for "Daughter." Oh Joy! Fourth grade ended without any controversy. I'll brag a little and tell you that ""Daughter"" got straight A's and scored very high on her standardized tests. She must have gotten all them book smarts from her momma, cuz I don't cotton to no school work. I'm proud of her, and if I can survive the onset of the "tween" years things should go swimmingly.

As I watched "Daughter" and her pals get off the bus for the final time the other day, I tried to recall the unbridled joy that came with the end of a school year. As I've mentioned before, school was not my favorite place so maybe my joy was heightened just a wee bit. I could tell that the kids were already thinking of endless days playing outside, swimming ,bike riding, and all the other summer activities that we enjoyed. Oh the care free fun they would have, sleeping late, having picnics and spending time with their parents. Wait..What..More time with their parents?

As much as the kids look forward to Summer vacation, all the parents I've talked to seem to dread it. Suddenly there is no place to send the little darlings for the lion's share of the day. For some reason, parents are freaking out. "What will I do with them?" they whine. They feel the need to over schedule the kids vacation. "Wife" tends to fall into that trap a little. Starting next week, she has "Daughter" scheduled in activities almost every day. Now, I know the benefits of swimming lessons, soccer camp and Summer band, but what about the benefits of doing nothing? I've been watching "Daughter" this week. She and her friends have had no trouble finding things to keep them busy. Thankfully we live in a neighborhood where the kids can still go out to play, and there are enough parents scattered up and down the block to serve as a security net.

"I don't want the kids to be bored" is another mantra of the suburban parent. So what? How many of us had our entire summer scheduled? Not too many I'll bet. Somehow we found a way to occupy our time. There's nothing wrong with a kid getting bored once in awhile. It gives them the opportunity to think for themselves and come up with something to do. Maybe they'll pick up a book and sit under a tree. Am I naive? I don't think so. The other day I was in the back yard and saw one of the dogs laying in the shade. It looked so good I went and joined her for a few minutes. It was heaven. If kids have some more time, maybe they'll appreciate things like that too. Wow, I can't believe that I told you I was laying in the grass. What's next, I start wearing overalls and keeping a piece of hay in my teeth while I head down to the fishin' hole?

I'm just saying, let the kids be kids for a little bit. There's plenty of time for them to live a life ruled by a schedule page on a "Blackberry." Remember, it's the "lazy days of Summer" not the over booked ones. Later...Brian