It is a part of our human nature. We always want what we don’t have. We always look at what we don’t have and convince
ourselves that it is much, much better than what we do have.
Case
in point-- Not so long ago, my children and
I were anxiously, really anxiously, anticipating
our summer vacation. Nothing sounded
better than a few months of no schedule, no academic responsibilities, no rigid
routines, no pressure to get things done…..
It sounded like bliss!
For
the first few days, we just unwound. We
had to adjust to the idea of filling our days with recreation instead of
work. But, we welcomed it joyously. We delighted in the freedom of summer.
It didn't take long to settle into our summer routine of sleeping later, stretching our leisurely
mornings out till lunchtime, lazing around accomplishing very little. It was
enjoyable to have the opportunity to relax but relaxation started to look
a bit like sloth.
Now,
we are in the thick of summer. The days
are hot, humid, and long. Our laziness is
looking more and more like a bad habit that might just want to stick around
into autumn. The lack of a schedule and regular
routine is starting to wear on me and the children are getting bored with all
those summertime activities they longed for during the school year.
I
find myself looking forward, with great anticipation, to getting back into our
school year. A little structure to our days is sounding... well, blissful really. I am seriously considering
moving our first day of school up a few weeks and starting on August 1st
instead of August 15th. The new school books are ready and waiting....
My only
fear is-- once we get back into the grind of math worksheets, daily spelling
tests, perplexing grammar concepts, complicated science lessons, etc…. summer vacation is going to look like a
wonderful treat once again. I worry that
a few days into our brand new school year, I will find myself looking longingly backwards and wishing again for the lazy days
of summer…..
Kari,
ReplyDeleteWe are currently having a two week break. Andy is home from school which changes our routine drastically. The girls can't wait for Monday when things will return to normal. Yes, they will miss Andy, but they are keen to get back to our reading and all the other activities we enjoy together but have no time for during the holidays. I wonder why we don't have the time. I think we must waste a lot of time by sleeping in and being generally lazy!
You could start your term two weeks early and then schedule a mid-term break - unless of course you already have mid-term breaks. I know in the UK each term is divided into two by a week's break. Here in Australia, we have four school terms, each consisting of ten continuous weeks.
God bless!