Tomorrow is the last day of school for three of my kids. Which in today’s craziness, therefore, means that summer vacation starts as soon as they attend their last conference call and press submit on their final assignments. How anticlimactic.
Just like there was no final concert, final game, or heck, even no final exam, there will be no real last day of school. No parties for me to send juice boxes in for. No early release time for me to panic and nearly forget about. Nope. It’ll just be…over.
And just as anticlimactically, summer vacation will begin. Yay.
Time Shift
How crazy is it that, as of today, our kids have been home for 10 whole weeks? I went back and checked last year’s calendar and found something even crazier, though. Last year, our county’s summer vacation was 11 weeks long. Let that sink in a second. The kids have been home for 10 weeks already and last year’s vacation was 11 weeks long.
Now, do you see an issue with that, or is it just me?
The amount of time that they’ve been home due to this ding-dang virus is only one week shy of the entire length of last year’s summer vacation. ONE WEEK!
That means that, if we were going by summer standards, right now I should be telling the kids to go ahead and play their video games and watch TV until their eyes bleed because they’d be heading back to school soon anyway.
But this isn’t going to be a regular summer and this certainly isn’t a regular year.
In a regular year…
In a regular year, I’d be spending the hours that my children are at school relishing in time spent by myself. I’d being going out to lunch with my girlfriends or getting a pedicure. Maybe I’d take a quiet swim in the pool before the constant summertime barrage of cannon balls begins.
In a regular year, I’d be in the throes of vacation planning. I’d be so looking forward to even a few days of focused togetherness for our family since we always seem to be going in so many different directions.
In a regular year, I’d be getting after my oldest to put his various work schedules into the family calendar. And I’d be adding the many swim team practices, swim meets, dance camps, marine science camps, and my own yoga classes, too.
In a regular year, I’d probably have torn my hair out by now over the hecticness of our schedule of concerts and recitals and parties.
But we all know how that’s going, don’t we?
The Void of Nothingness that is Our Summer
Like most people, I think, our summer is going to look nothing like we thought it would just a few short months ago.
We had to cancel our vacation.
Dance recital has been put on an indefinite hold.
Summer camp is a no-go.
Swim team may happen on a practice-only basis, but there won’t be any meets, I’m sure.
I mean, people. We aren’t a family that overdoes it on activities. My children aren’t overextended on a regular basis. But I think I speak for all moms here when I shout from the rooftops…
WHAT THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THESE PEOPLE FOR ANOTHER 10 WEEKS?!?!?!
And Yet…
And yet, the school district emailed today about ways to keep the kids learning over the summer. Because let’s be real, 20 weeks away from their teachers would turn any student into a virtual bump on an educational log.
And yet, I keep looking for a replacement vacation to look forward to later in the summer. Who knows? Maybe God loves me and I’ll actually find something we can afford.
And yet, I keep crossing my fingers that maybe swim practice will start. Please God, let swim practice start.
And yet, I’m so freaking proud of how well my kids have handled all of this craziness and upheaval and disappointment. Especially the one who graduated high school this week (more to come on that soon!).
And yet, I can’t help but be grateful for all that we do have amidst all that has been taken away.
Summer Vacation, the 2020 way
Guys, I’m trying. I really am. But if you came here for inspiration, I have none. If you’re reading this post in hopes of garnering some fabulous ideas of things you and your family can do this summer, you’re going to be disappointed.
But! If you need a little pat on the back, a little “I hear ya, sister”, a little commiseration on what a suck-fest this summer is appearing that it will be? I’m your girl.
All in all, I guess what I have to say about summer vacation 2020 is this:
Summer Vacation, please don’t suck too bad. Don’t be too hot or too boring. Don’t send too many hurricanes or tornadoes or damaging storms. Let our kids be at least a little willing to keep up their schoolwork for even 30 minutes a week. Help us find good books to read. Let us have time with our friends, even if it can’t be exactly like what we’ve experienced in the past. And for the love of all that is holy, please please come to an end once school is supposed to start in August. Thank you, over and out, and amen.
