#82 Summer and siblings

I finally made it back out to my porch with my morning coffee. It has been a while since I’ve been able to have that simple pleasure. Summer, a time I remember as a child as lasting forever and holding no responsibilities, is flying by. We are so scheduled with activities; we’re almost busier than during the school year. Don’t get me wrong, these are all things I planned and want (or wanted) to do, but it makes the summer go by so much faster. Two weeks of vacation, one to visit each set of grandparents, camp for the kids, a trip to the beach with friends and summer is half over and we’ve only been to our pool once. Of course we’ve been to other people’s pools…..

What happened to the lazy days of summer? I know I won’t really get those, I have to work and be a Mom no matter what time of the year it is, but where did they go for my kids? Did I ever really have them or did I just think I did? Eric I and were scheduled in camps all summer long too, but since my Mom didn’t work we weren’t there the extended hours that my kids are. I remember playing made up games in the back yard, fighting over the trapeze on the swing set, and staying out until it started to get dark.

My kids don’t get as much unstructured time as Eric and I did. Every afternoon during the school year we were home after school ended and we usually played together. My kids get a lot of time together—they share a room, but during the week we’re only home until they go to school or camp and then we’re back in time for dinner. It’s not the same. Hopefully the weekends make up for it. I want my kids to grow up close like Eric and I did, I hope time playing together will create that. I know I don’t have much control over this, but I’m going to try. Lately my 6 year old has been exhibiting rampant signs of sibling rivalry, even going so far as telling me his life would be better if his little brother had never been born. I try to explain to him that he is just upset, and if he thinks about it he has a lot of fun with his little brother, but it’s a hard thing to resolve. He’ll just have to figure it out on his own. It hurts me to hear him say that though. I’m so glad I knew Eric, even if it was for a shorter period of time than we all had planned.