Whoever came up with the term summer “vacation/break” clearly did not have kids.

In the past, I could never understand why so many parents would gripe about their children being off for the summer. Since school was out, parents could now enjoy a full summer of extra time with their little ones! Now that I have a child who has just completed his very first year of school, I get it…I finally get it.

I was completely unprepared for how busy my life would get once I had a child in the school system. I really didn’t think much would change, but it did. Now that my Son was in Kindergarten, my perfect family schedule had to change to suit his new life. Not only was there school, the Fall brought activities such as swimming lessons, Beavers and more. Our family life was run by schedules that weren’t really our own!

As the school year was coming to an end, I was really looking forward to a break during the summer. Suddenly, “they” started to appear in my Son’s book bag – soccer schedules, baseball flyers, summer camp brochures, youth programs through church, etc. Are you kidding me?! My nice summer break was being bombarded by more schedules! How is the summer supposed to be a vacation when all you’re doing is bring your children to new activities?

Well I’ve decided to put the break back in summer! My little man dearly loves baseball and it’s only offered during the summer, so that’s fine. We will pass on all other programs. There’s more than enough things to enrol in during the Fall/Winter months.

I’m sure that this summer will be filled with lemonade stands, water balloon wars, camping and trips to the playground. However, we can also spend a day doing absolutely nothing and relax in the backyard. It’s our choice to make now that we’re not being ruled by schedules! Happy Summer everyone!!