A Note From Our Author

“Summertime Fun”

Up until my son Spencer entered school I had actually forgotten the joy of summer vacation. As a working mom, the only difference I noticed, besides the change in seasons, was less traffic during rush hour because there weren’t any school buses. Through Spencer, I now remember the excitement and anticipation of the upcoming school break. In fact, his teacher called the other day to complain that he was tapping his pencil too loudly during class. I thought to myself, “Doesn’t she remember spring fever? How can he sit there and not be anxious to get outside and enjoy recess?” 

Even though I work full time, everything really does feel different in the summer. There are some afternoons where we all play hooky and hang out at the beach. Bedtime and mealtime both become much more relaxed as we enjoy concerts, picnic dinners in the park, barbeques, and baseball games outdoors. During summer, every day becomes a casual Friday!

Of course it’s not always easy. For me, the struggle lies with trying to maintain a “normal” work day schedule in the midst of driving my daughters to daycare while shuttling Spencer back and forth between tennis camp, swim lessons, and summer school. However, I have a little leverage as a child safety consultant. In my profession I think people are more forgiving during a phone conversation when they hear children screaming in the background. I wish the rest of you all the best!

I know there will be days when I can’t wait for school to start again and I’ll want everyone’s schedules to go back to “normal.” But just the other day, as I saw my daughters bend down to smell the freshly cut grass, I’m reminded to slow down a bit, stop and (literally) smell the roses and, for this fleeting season, relish the summer days.