So it's the third official day of summer vacation, and I'm ready for my kids to go back to school. I'm kidding. Not really.
When we were IN school, I felt overwhelmed with state reports, book reports, special singing and drumming presentations, Castle Day, Kindergarten sharing for the letter of the week, and watching my 5th graders being promoted.
In fact, 5th grade Promotion just happened to fall on the last day of school, AND the twins 11th birthday. Anyone who's ever had a kid in school knows and understands the chaos of the "End of the Year" mayhem. At precisely 8:40 AM, I rushed to put Charlotte into the jogging stroller, because I knew full good and well, that if I didn't run to the school, I wasn't gonna get my sweat on that day.
What I totally did not expect, or see coming AT ALL, was the overwhelming emotions that overtook me as a parent. As I was running across Lincoln Avenue, all of a sudden, instead of worrying if I would get to the school on time, I had this flashback of the twins in Kindergarten. Little cutie patootie Blondies, full of excitement, anticipation, and joy over what elementary school could and would bring. I was doing the ugly cry, and the stupid ceremony had even yet to begin!
Because now I get it. They are my first. They were in Kindergarten YESTERDAY. And now they're not. Next year they will be going to Willow Glen Middle School. And I can't do a damn thing to stop it.
Gone is the innocence of all of the "fun" extracurricular school activities, like Walk-A-Thon and Family Fun Night. Many of these activities, which I straight up, boycotted. C'mon, let's me honest for just a minute. Which would you choose? Going to a San Jose Giants game at the end of a long week, on a Friday night with 10,000 other Booksin kids, with a baby strapped to your midsection in a Bjorn? Or sitting on your ass while drinking a glass of wine, de-compressing with spousey, while catching up on Oprah? NO BRAINER...right?
It will never be the same for Abigail and Isabella. And as much as I complain and kvetch about "fill in the blank here" part of their childhood, when it ends, it's over. And when the next chapter comes, I grieve. Gone are park days, and looking for worms after a rain storm. Here come bras and lip gloss...
The overwhelm of the summer scenario is simply this: these damn kids are still here every morning at 8:01 AM. WTF? They like never leave. It makes me feel as though I must actually schedule activities to keep us all sane. Every morning, I'm greeted with the same question, from one of my bright eyed, positively radiant children,"Mom, what are we doing today?" like I'm some sort of travel agent or concierge.
I mean, just this past Sunday, I went to lunch, got a massage, played cards, and drank beer. Not with my kids, silly. With my very good friend. I'm not really sure what the hell the kids did. But it was the 10th anniversary of my 29th birthday, and so I didn't feel guilty about it. Well, not too terribly guilty.
And let me tell you, it was a stellar day! But after hitting the Capitola Brit, The Willow Den, and Aqui's, I realized, that at some point during the day I needed to return to my homestead. However, I also recognized it was very close to the girls bedtime. This left me with only one decision: go to The Marmist, and wait it out. Kidding, I didn't go to The Marmist. But I WILL get in that place some day. I have a dream, dammit.
Truth be told though, I could NOT go home just yet. If I was able to successfully able to kill about another 30 minutes, I would be Scott free. Free from bedtime stories. Dreaded teeth brushing. Requests of permission to go potty...one last time. Please tell me I am not the only mother on the planet who does that. Please validate my selfishness.
Or maybe I am. I guess that makes me a horrible person. But I think I'm okay with it. Because seriously, we have like 500 more days of summer togetherness.
Days filled with Library origami hours, and Happy Hollow. Days that leave the floor of my truck resembling a playground sandbox, because we went to the beach. And well, me washing 3 loads of nappy, gritty, wet, towels and bathing suits because we, well, went to the beach. Days of my girls playing Hide n Go Seek out front with the neighbor kids after dark. Evenings spent raising a glass with my friends, as the kids dance in the lingering rays of sunlight as they don glow necklaces that somebody dug out from their Halloween left-overs.
I do love me some summer. And well, pretty soon, these days of innocence will be long gone.
So when I start to complain again about the kids driving me nuts, just check me, will ya? Gently remind me how quickly it goes. Because before I know it, the twins will be going to their first dance. Excuse me, as I go cry into my pillow now.
