Kathy's Chaos: School's Out

Am I the only parent who isn’t as excited about the last day of school as the kids are? 

I mean, I love my kids. Dearly. However, the week or so before school ends, I start to get panicky at the thought of having them home for the whole summer. Yes, I love summer and all that it offers. But right now, I am freaking out that I am not going to get everything done that is easier to get done without the kids around.

I had wanted to get a pedicure. I had wanted to take an hour or two to sit on the beach by myself. I had wanted to get another trip to Costco in. I had wanted to shop leisurely for a new bathing suit. Oh right, and I had wanted to be able to continue five days a week, six hours a day of working while they were in school.

However, all of my fantasizing about grocery shopping independently just one last time rarely comes to fruition during the last days of school. This year was no different. In fact, this year my time to get things done was cut short.  

This year, I was “lucky” enough to have the kids’ school give us back the three snow days we didn’t use. I guess some parents saw it as a gift, three extra days to spend with the kids. But to me, and I’m sure other working parents, the three fewer days of school were just an inconvenience.

The days after school ends but before camps and summer recreation programs begin is always a nightmare for those of us who work. It becomes a scramble to find some way to keep the kids busy so that I don’t get fired. I think I’ve finally got it all figured out for this year. I have exhausted myself in the process however, so I am hopeful I still have enough energy to complete my work assignments while my children are otherwise occupied.  

And so as this school year draws to a close, I have accepted my fate that my me-time is ending, that all of my errands will now need to get done with the kids in tow. I have resigned myself to the fact that grocery store trips will include my kids. I gave up the idea of a pedicure and painted my toenails myself. I decided that I can wear the same bathing suit as last year – who am I kidding, no one is looking at me on the beach anyway. And I have accepted that I will never again sit on the beach alone for at least another eight to 10 years.

Ring, ring!

There’s the last school bell now. Am I ready for it? Nope, never am. But regardless of my readiness, here they come, running toward me with arms outstretched grinning from ear to ear.

Brace yourselves. School’s out, let the summer officially begin!