Now I am an adult, and I am thinking...What summer vacation? The job keeps going, the bills keep coming, and as for going somewhere (in this economy?).
Summer vacation was good for me for about 3 days. I tend to be a restless soul. I have to keep active or I go Loco! My friends and family always comment on what a nerd I am, since I loved summer school, band camp and the such. I really did love it, but that was before everything became about remediation. I took sewing and cooking, Spanish, aeronautics/airplanes, Indian lore, piano, guitar, drama, etc. It was fantastic for me. The band camps were fun too. I got to play my flute, which I love to do, while meeting new people from all over. Since I travelled more than 10 hours away to various camps, it was an added benefit to leave my family. My favorite part was running all over town with my friends, or hanging out at my or their pool.
Kids now don't "hang out" much anymore. Every second seems to be calculated and planned. My kids can't just hang out here. It is either about 112 degree heat, 50mph winds, long distances between friends, or...that keeps them inside and "bored". We do have many things for them to do, but I worry about the isolation. My eldest son has a car, so he can pick up and see friends whenever he wants, pretty much.
The younger son can meet with friends when I go to work. A lot of them live in the town where I work. He also likes to do his "own thing" music, games, manga, etc. He always goes into his room and disappears: teenager. He comes out for meals and movies, but that is about it.
My youngest, a daughter, is a resident of her own fantasy world. We get to visit, but it is quite involved. This may be from the isolation, but my youngest son did this too. Joe thinks it is a product from us. Both Joe and I lived in our fantasy worlds when we were younger. Our daughter carries on the tradition and "runs with it". She has trouble making and keeping friends, because of her complicated games and such. I know that summer vacation will be a chore to "keep her busy". She is her mama's daughter! She is loving Vacation Bible School this week. She loves that they are pretending to go to Rome and the Underground church. They wear costumes and react villages and such of that time. Perfect for her. She is almost mute when she is there, but the car ride home has her chatting about it all and she recreates it at home. I believe she is studying every detail, while she is there. She processes it in silence, so that she captures every nuance. She gets quite irritated with me if I am near her or talk to her. Such an interesting little sprite. I get quite irritated when she wants to share it with me, and I am busy. So, I guess we are even.
School's Out...Let Life begin. That is how I see it. I won't change my mind. It really is a shame, that school doesn't let us experience more of the fun of life. Learning is Fun; it should be year round! Fun can get monotonous too. Why not mix the two? Why take a vacation from one or the other? Ah, but this is another discussion, for another day!
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