Countdown to Summer Vacation

A little over a week to go. But who’s counting?  Every child in this country. As I passed a veteran teacher in the hall the other day, she grabbed me by the sleeve, stared at me with cross-eyes and hissed, “Help Me!  The natives are getting restless!”

My cousin Catie, an elementary school teacher in Florida, wrote, ” My kids have the Summer Crazies.  I’ve said this line at least 13 times this week and it’s only Wednesday: ‘Am I in my bathing suit on the beach with a lemonade? No? Then it’s not summer yet! Get back to work!’

“You have no idea how difficult it is to maintain composure with two weeks of school left, very little curriculum left to adhere to and very antsy pantsy 9 year olds. We’ve been doing some fun activities and laughing at each other more than often. On Monday, I get to share the new Florida State song since a parent informed me it’s being changed because Suwannee River is racist.  Thank you!”

The frenzy is building not only in classrooms but at dinner tables, neighborhood pools and of course suburban street corners, where our morning bus stop has taken on a whole new tone.  There’s renewed energy… the kids are jumpy, smiley and on time.   The moms share the disposition of the teachers.

Oh sure the requisite Perfect Bus Stop Mommies™ are still smiling.  They already have two months worth of confirmed camps, swim lessons and play dates set up for their kids.  One PBSM, for the second summer in a row, arranged for all three of her kids to be at the same camp during the same week; at which time she and her husband will run away on vacation.  

I always think of these things too late.  I mean, how am I supposed to think about registering my kids for a summer camp in February?  When it’s snowing outside. Unfortunately for me, it seems this is when you need to sign up your kids for the really hot camps.  My kids will have to settle for the luke warm ones. Or better yet, Camp Grandma.

Camps or not, the Bus Stop Mommies have started looking at each other with that unspoken, yet heard loud and clear cry:  “Ohmygawd what are we going to do with these kids all summer?  And will we survive if we don’t see each other at the corner every weekday morning and afternoon?” Will we languish in a black hole, void of the latest news, borrowed book, diet progress, maternal advice and moral support?

We’ll have to call more and more “Neighborhood Watch Meetings”  NWM’s being code for, “GET ME OUT OF THIS HOUSE NOW!”

A little over a week to go.  Hail Mary, full of grace…

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