Ah, the first day if the kids summer vacation. I’m done with school, the kids are all cleaned out of their desks and  here we are staring at each other. The relaxed pace, the leisurely meals, the lack of schedule . . . the arguing, the whines of boredom, the lack of schedule. At least I have been doing this long enough to realize that this “School Let-Down Syndrome” is temporary. It also lets me know that as careful as I try to be about making sure my kids have downtime, they truly are used to being incredibly busy. And so, this first phase of vacation must be endured. 

It takes the oldest two a few days to begin exercising that free-time muscle. On my part, it takes a lot of discipline to deflect and ignore the calls of, “What are we doing today? What’s going on? I’m bored!”  Because I find that if you indulge it even once, with a suggestion or a game, you are sucked in for the whole summer. Part of me doesn’t even get it –and feel free to groan if you must — because I was never bored growing up. Summer was the most glorious time for me and my friends. Such freedom. All day to engage my imagination, ride bikes, swim, make up plays and stories, do gimp at the playground. Yeah, well, that was then. My whole family has caught the busy disease, and as much as I dream about the past, I am bad as everyone else.

At least I have learned that after a few days, Dex will actually stop his History/Discovery channel binge and start making stuff in the garage. Neve will stop wandering the house and sighing heavily and start concocting plans and schemes for crafts and bands, and books in the basement. 

And that will be just in time for us to go on vacation or go to camp. And then it will stat all over again.