Parent’s Perspective- Part 6

Carrie Vittitoe, parent-writer for Today's Family magazine, gives us her perspective on summer break and getting back into the swing of things in a new school year.

And They’re Off! When I was a childless middle school teacher, I lived for the quiet and ease of summer break. Now that I have three young children and my summers are not quiet or easy, I feel differently. My kids bicker and throw tantrums during the summer months, and I tire of playing concierge for my kids.
Still, summer does give me a break from the constant busyness of the school year: making lunches or keeping enough money in the school lunch account, drop-off and pick-up, the daily dumping of the backpack, homework assistance and its many frustrations for both mom and child, the school parties, festivals, and PTA meetings.

My schedule ramped up tremendously when my daughter, Norah, began kindergarten. My sons, Graeme and Miles, were two and newborn, respectively, so I was already busy with diaper changes and doctor visits. Just staying on top of what Norah was learning in the classroom and becoming acclimated to her elementary school routine was a full-time job. Over time, Norah’s homework load has increased, and we’ve added twice-monthly Girl Scout meetings and weekly piano lessons to her schedule.

Graeme’s entry into preschool this past year contributed to the increasingly frenetic pace of our life. I had his daily work to sort, Scholastic book orders to peruse, holiday parties to help plan and attend, snacks to purchase and send off in the snack box, and parent/teacher conferences to add to my already full weeks and months.

Once Graeme begins kindergarten, he may wish to participate in some extracurricular activities as his sister did when she began elementary school. By that time, Miles will be in a three-year-old preschool program. I start to hyperventilate just thinking about it.  When I think about it, that summer concierge gig isn’t really so bad after all.