The sentence parents dread the most is: “So, what are we gonna do now?”
Okay, maybe it’s really, “I’m pregnant,” or “I wrecked your car,” or “I’m bleeding,” or “I hate you.” But those sentences mostly issue from the mouths of kids older than mine.
The sentence I dread the most is: “So, Mom, what are we gonna do now?”
I’ve been thinking about this sentence a lot as summer approaches. I have three or four weeks of summer camp set up for my kidlings, and we’ll also spend two separate weeks at the beach (one with my Mom, one with my Dad and his wife). But for a lot of summertime, we’ll be together–the three of us, me and my kids, we three.
For my son, hanging out at home is how life is best spent. He likes adventure and trips, but he also likes puttering around at home. He LIKES playing in his room with his toys. He likes coloring. He likes the swingset. He even likes helping out with chores.
My girl, on the other hand, wants to go, go, go. She has relaxed a bit since she learned to read, and to read actual novels (although I’m not sure if the Captain Underpants series fits into that genre). Even so, she wants people and action. She likes sports and games–stuff that necessitates two or more people to play. As long as the boys who live across the street are around, her life is good. But if they’re gone, I’d better have a playdate or an adventure planned for her. Or be ready to play a mind-numbing two-hour round of Battleship.
My kids are three years apart in age, and, for the most part, they adore each other. They also fight like Huns, particularly when they’re bored or tired, or when the boy won’t do what his big sister wants him to do. So, they adore each other for about ten percent of the time. The other 90, they’d prefer to attack each other. At least when they’re around me. They seem to turn into little angels when they don’t have the comforting fallback of parental presence. I can always tell how comfortable they are around someone by how open they are about fighting in front of them.
So here’s what my summer looks like: Mom, what are we gonna do now?; screeching, scratching sibling drama; sand, sunscreen, and shark-infested surf; mega-taxi mom time; and work, when I can fit it in.
Damn, I’m tired of summer already. What will your summer look like?
