Get on back to school if you know what's good for you!

Due to unforeseen circumstances, summer has been canceled. After an exhaustive examination of the facts, it has been determined that summer is indeed too long. It needs to be ended immediately. Children must return to school. Their brains are turning to mush. I have arranged for today's unseasonably cool, rainy, and thunder-and-lightning-filled weather to emphasize my point. Sorry for any inconvenience.

So while during Friday's heatwave, Heather was fantasizing about riding a horse on a beach with George Clooney to slake the heat, I could only think of how in the world I will pass these next few weeks of summer with pretty much nothing to do. Apparently, I could use a little help in the fantasizing department.

While I've heard other Portland moms fantasize about how summer break should start in July and go through September to maximize summer weather enjoyment, I will hold fast to my dream of summer just being shorter. My understanding of the U.S. school year is that it was set up to have summers off so that children could help on family farms during harvest. I don't know about your kids, but mine wouldn't know a harvest if it bit them on their bottoms. They need to be doing reading, writing and 'rithmetic. For my preschooler, she needs to get back in the preschool social set and stop shoving her sister and throwing elbows every time she doesn't get her way. I think about two months total of summer break would be sufficient.

How about you?

Comments

We are exactly the opposite-sleeping in till 10-(even the baby!)messing around all day going to parks,shows,the beach,reading,painting,flubber its endless! I am dreading the kids going back to school,wish it was harvest season all year round.

I am so bummed summer break is almost over. I will miss that time when school starts. I wish summer break was longer and school hours were shorter so we could have more fun together.

[C]

I love having my preschool aged kid and not yet preschool aged kid home with me, we have fun every single day!
The best part is I have one more year to enjoy the older kid and then decide if I want an extra year to bond our kids and family!
SWEET, take that you gotta work for cable tv slaves!!

[KE]

We homeschool year-round, more or less. Any day that DH is at work, we learn from 10:00-1:00, then afternoons off on various adventures. We easily get more (sometimes much more) than a year's worth of work done every year in those 3 short hours per day. Of course, when the weather is great (any old time of year) sometimes we take the whole day outside and do a nature walk and just enjoy. We love the simplicity and the flexibility. :)

I'm going to be so sad to see summer end. We love having my husband home (teacher) and figuring out new and fun things to do every day. I, too, wish school days were shorter!

[Carol]

I'm with you, Renee! I love lots of things about summer, but my kids and I have never done well with all day togetherness for extended periods of time. I'm ready for school to start!!

I think that I would love a year-round school calendar, with 2 or 3 week breaks scattered throughout the year. I know that there are problems with that model too, but it would work well for my family.

[Heather]

I'm torn. I'm ready to back into a routine with school, but we've had some lovely lazy summer days. I'm not looking forward to the hectic mornings of packing lunches and bustling kids off to school, but I am looking forward to a bit more 'me' time. I love the idea of year-round school with 2-3 week breaks like Carol said. Probably just a pipedream.

[Renee]

Thank you Carol! I was starting to feel very insecure about not savoring this wonderful special time!! I'd vote for the year-round model with breaks. I often wonder how those schools that do year-round fund it.

[melanie]

renee, my kids aren't even in school yet, but i will be soooo happy to send them off. i love them, but i think we will be better off without so much face time. we do tons of fun stuff all the time, but you know, i get where you are coming from. i'm even (gasp) considering going back to work because i'm not sure how the stay at home mom thing is working for me right now. i think i'm a much better mom with a few more breaks.

um, i'm not sure i quite get the "SWEET, take that you work for cable tv slaves" comment posted above?...

[lilah]

Renee, if it makes you feel better...I was ready for school to start two weeks after it ended. I love my boys and I love having them around but I am not ashamed to admit that not everyday is cherished. Some days I feel like placing an ad for two darling boys on Craigslist. :-)

That's a sarcastic joke people.

[Renee]

Melanie - I hear ya. I think about going back to work sometimes too, but so far there's no work out there that will pay me enough and that I'd enjoy enough, so we keep doing what we're doing. And I also didn't understand that "SWEET.." part. Maybe a case of momnesia/forgetting what she was writing?

Lilah - maybe we can do a package deal on craigslist ;-)

All - thanks for all the input. I'm envious of those of you who enjoy your summers with kids so much. I wish my kids would sleep later than 6am so we could start our days in lazier ways! I think what it comes down to for our family is we all thrive on routine, and there's almost no way to establish a routine during summer when there's camps that all have different start times, some weeks with nothin' going on, vacations, etc.

[Nadine]

I'm undecided about summer. I love sleeping in and being unscheduled. But, my family has never been one for a schedule. After a while though, I start feeling like a slug. We do lots of activities, but it's too easy to just hang out. I think summer is just the right amount of time. I'm really nervous about the idea of having to get my kid to kindergarten early every morning in a couple weeks! If my kids woke up at 6am though, I would veto summer altogether!

[JillyBean]

I have ONE. I love her, unconditionally; the proof of that is that she still lives in our house and has not been sold (or paid!) into slavery. Raising thoughtful, well-mannered kids is not easy and I vote for all year school! I'm tired and wondering if I should sign her up for one more week of Soccer Camp - somewhere, anywhere?
Waiter!

[Karen]

My kids do not sleep late no matter what - 6am and they are up and ready to go, no lazy days of summer in this house! Except when I send them downstairs to watch TV until I can stumble down and make breakfast. I am looking forward to school but not hectic mornings. I wish for a year-round school calendar!