Moms Talk: Staying Sane For the Summer

If you haven’t heard, the zombies are coming. They have showed up in Miami, Texas, Maryland, and New Jersey. It’s only a matter of time before they make it to our little Seattle suburb.

I just hope they don’t get here until the end of the summer. By that time, I won’t have any brains left to tempt them.

It’s not just summer that rots my gray matter. I’m already pretty brainless at this point in the year. There are so many end-of-school events. There’s the increased cleaning level from weather warm enough to want to play outside but wet enough to muddy up the house upon our return. There’s the frantic scheduling to make sure I have packed the summer with fun, educational and entertaining plans.

But in just a few more days, I’ll get to add in full days of on call mom-ing, and if all goes well, heat. And between them, I know from experience, my brain will melt.

Summer for me is a taste of why I don’t homeschool. There are people who are meant for it. Special people who can spend a complete 24-hour day with their children, coming up with great educational activities, and at the end of it are full or energy and ideas for another fun day tomorrow.

I envy those people, but I know I am not one of them. At the end of a school year weekend of being the driving force behind my daughter’s education, entertainment, and enlightenment, I am thrilled at the time with her, delighted with our bonding, and bloody ready to send her back to the arms of her wonderful teacher.

Summer takes this option away.

Camps do fill some of the time—especially helpful for those parents who work full-time all year long. Even then, though, there are simply more hours to fill in this season, with the sun setting later. Also, a sunny weekend demands more planning than a winter one. When the sun is here, we feel the need to get out there and take advantage of it.

And yet we have to balance that with not wanting our kids to go back to school in the fall having forgotten how to write their names.

There are definitely educational day camps, and I recommend several through the Redmond Parks and Rec department. It’s actually a great break for the kids to take a hot summer afternoon and spend it inside an air-conditioned room learning how to craft a persuasive sentence or do magic math or summer science.

We also have an absolutely wonderful  here. From reading times for the young ones, to reading groups for the teens, to events and shows, there’s quite often something to do there that engages the brain. And the summer reading program keeps my daughter motived to read all summer long, just for the joy of coloring in a box for every 20 minutes, never mind the prizes at the end.

And never forget that the brain isn’t everything. The swimming and running about and outdoor play keep our kids’ bodies strong. All this sun and blood flowing are getting them ready to go back to school flush with health in the fall.

Some time inside, some time outside. A at the beach in the day, and a night time . Some brain and some body. It’s not always easy to balance, but it’s worth the effort.

And maybe, just maybe, we’ll all get to the end of the summer with something left in our heads to tempt the zombies.