I’m sure all over the interwebs and blogosphere there are people posting about BTS, or Back-To-School for the acronym challenged. Yes, NYers are mostly back today (maybe tomorrow), which is really late for most places. I like it. Labor Day is “the end” and we all know it. It’s a symbolic end, but a good place to end nevertheless.
The kids are back to the grind and so are we. The beach is likely (though it’s still nice) a memory, so are the pools and the summer vacations. The overscheduling and under-free-timing of our kids has begun.
I for one, am pretty bummed. Sure, they can be annoying as all heck. “What are we doing today” is the battle cry! “No more iPad” is a likely retort. “Don’t spray your sister” is a way of life. The kids are bored, the parents are annoyed. The days are long. Tempers can be short. But overall…it’s just nice to have them around.
It’s great to see them much of the day. To hit the beach at 5PM and not care if you get home past dark…and then they shower. Ice cream and Italian Ice are much more common, and well they should be. Just hanging and doing nothing is not a chore, but a joy. I mean that, I really do.
I know that these times are fleeting and that all too soon, they will mostly want to hang out with their friends for most of those long days. The beach and pool time will be spent even more with people other than you. They will be growing up, coming into their own. Wanting to be bigger than they already are. Before you know it, 9 years for Natalie, they will be off to college and then who knows what. Liam will still be around a bit more and Caleb even more after that (thank God), but I will se the writing on the wall.
Yes, it’s great that they are back learning and meeting new friends, and taking dance class and playing soccer. I’m looking forward to hearing about the day, who’s in their class, how Liam’s first trip on the bus was, and how they like it all.
But I’m not going to lie…I’ll miss the summer and all those boring, annoying days. (And yes, I know the pic is blurry, but that’s not really the point).