as published at www.ocregister.com on June 27, 2012:
Am I the only mother out there who dies inside on the last day of school? Does two months of 24/7 family togetherness make anyone else a little bit … twitchy?
Sure, there’s that whole we get to sleep in, don’t have to do homework or pack lunches “sell” to summer vacation. But not really.
1. Sleeping in? Actually means staying up late... as in the kids. It’s hard to duct tape your kids into their beds at 8:45 p.m. when the sun’s still out and the neighbors are still on the slip’n slide. After a day of full sun family entertainment, I seem to be the only one passed out drooling on the couch by 9 p.m. while the rest of them party through all two hours of "So You Think You Can Dance." So really, I’m fine getting up early again if it’s to SEND THEM TO SCHOOL.
2. Don’t have to do homework? Only the kids win on this one. You find me a mom who doesn’t spend two hours of every summer day preparing for the pop quiz of "What are we going to do today?" and the science project of "Determining the Appropriate Amount of Aloe to Combat Third Degree Sunburn." When the kids are home, believe me, mom’s still doing WORK.
3. No packed lunches? YEAH, RIGHT!!! Not only will you be packing them, you’ll be packing twice as much for all the kids’ friends who snuggle their way onto your beach blanket. And then you’ll be loading them into appropriately chilled coolers with sand drains so you can haul/roll/drag them through three acres of parking lot and down rocky terrain and past two lifeguard stands ‘til you find an open two-foot by two-foot square.
Arguably, summer is only a break for the kids. So this year, this mama came up with a survival plan for me/them called "Camp Mom." I didn’t realize I was such a joy to be around until I threw out this clever idea about a month ago, and my kids asked if they could go to summer school instead. (I checked, unfortunately they’re not qualified for the free kind.)...
READ THE REST HERE:
Camp Mom: A good fix for summer break - OC Moms - The Orange County Register
