A Sigh of Relief: The End of Summer

By Maria Bailey

Mothers across the country are celebrating the first day of school. In StarBucks, mothers are sipping their coffee with a loud sigh of relief. I even overheard one mom ask another, "When did summer get so long?" As if the annual calendar has been altered in some way to torture us moms. Finally, summer is over and school is back in session.

Ironically, we all look forward to the fun of summer. By March, we yearn for a more relaxed schedule, a break from making lunches and a reprieve from homework. So, why are we celebrating the start of school? There are plenty of reasons. One reason is the endless line of half-drunk sodas in the refrigerator at the end of a hot summer day or the 20 pool towels that seem to find places to hide throughout the house, like in the back of closets and under beds or it might be the disappearance of food by the pound from your kitchen cabinets.

Now that school has started, I predict a reduction in my grocery bill because I won't be unknowingly feeding every child in the neighborhood. My electric bill will also go down since my kids won't be changing from bathing suits to play clothes four times a day. We haven't yet mastered the "take-it-off and put-it-back-on" concept in our house. There seems to be a universal day some time in August when everyone realizes it's time for school to begin. No one says it out loud but a feeling of irritability creeps into your household. You run out of ways to entertain your children and your children don't want to be entertained anymore. Everyone just wants to get back to normalcy.

The grass is always greener on the other side. I believe this more and more every day. School started only yesterday and already I am reconsidering my quest for the return to normalcy. When did normalcy become doing two hours of homework, packing four lunchboxes and debating over a fair bedtime?

The school year hit me in the face like a tidal wave in the movie, "A Perfect Storm." I arrived home from work to find stacks of papers to sign, school policies to memorize, books to cover and lists of supplies to fill. For the record, I have lots of talents but one of them is not covering textbooks with clear contact paper. How the heck do you get the paper on the book without gathering particles of dirt, hair or other stuff onto the adhesive? And if you can get the adhesive to lay flat while you place the book in the center of it, how do you get it on the book without air bubbles getting trapped between the contact paper and the book cover? I let the kids watch my debacle of covering their textbooks so they could learn two important lessons:

1. Their mother is not perfect
2. It's okay not to be perfect at everything

I was definitely a little rusty in managing my school-year routine. This was evident when it took me over an hour to make school lunches and another hour to sign papers and pack backpacks. I'm confident my speed will increase over the next few weeks. By Christmas break I'll be proofing homework as I'm smearing peanut butter on Wonder Bread. And by Spring break I'll be counting the days until summer begins.

Was I crazy longing for school to start? How quickly we forget the challenges that come with having the kids out of the house all day.

Share your thoughts on our message board or email Maria.

Also see:
• Week Forty-Five --The end of summer: school begins
• Week Forty-Four --Two funerals and a wedding
• Week Forty-Three -- Surviving the summer vacation
• Week Forty-Two -- Seeing the world through a child's eye
• Week Forty-One -- Re-living single days teaches the importance of family
• Week Forty -- Sometimes we need a break
• Week Thirty-Nine -- Summer camps
• Week Thirty-Eight -- The teachers that shape our lives
• Week Thirty-Seven -- Reuniting with old friends
• Week Thirty-Six -- Tips for managing a large family
• Week Thirty-Five --Fulfilling my dreams
• Week Thirty-Four --Parenting approaches
• Week Thirty-Three -- Combining a business trip with spring break
• Week Thirty-Two -- Making Spring Break plans
• Week Thirty-One -- Importance of a Support System
• Week Thirty -- Life is good
• Week Twenty-nine -- My nine year anniversary
• Week Twenty-Eight --Does birth order matter?
• Week Twenty-Seven -- Things we take for granted
• Week Twenty-Six -- My youngest turned two
• Week Twenty-Five -- Losing someone you love
• Week Twenty-Four -- Where's the romance in Valentine's Day?
• Week Twenty-Three -- The call I've been waiting for
• Week Twenty-Two -- Where did the weekend go?
• Week Twenty-One -- Business trip challenges
• Week Twenty -- Girl Scout cookie time
• Week Nineteen -- Thoughts on motherhood
• More diary entries

Maria Bailey is the CEO and founder of BlueSuitMom.com and a mother of four children under the age of seven.