Confession #13: What I Learned During Summer Vacation
Do you remember the first day of school? It seemed like every year, in a new classroom with a new teacher, the same old question came up.
The question was always a derivative of these: summer activities, summer learning, what I did, what my family did, vacation destinations, etc. Sometimes the question involved an essay. I always enjoyed the essay. My husband? Not so much. Not an essayist. A great storyteller in person, for sure. But I am definitely the English-minded one of our family and he is solidly the math/science guy.
Putting pen to paper and developing the line of the the summer tale was, I think, an activity we all enjoyed, but at the same time, dreaded. It was great to tell of your summer travels and hope they sounded more interesting than those of the child in the neighboring desk. But jumpstarting the brain into putting all those sentences together on the first day of school was, well, let’s just say it required coffee but I was too young to drink coffee.
As the summer winds down, once again I put pen to paper. Well, actually, I put fingers to keyboard. And the tale begins. What have I learned during summer vacation?
Honestly, the learning comes from the parenting. As mom to two precious kids aged 11 and 5, I dare say that I learn more from them than they learn from me. Don’t get me wrong. I love a great teaching moment with my kids when chance offers me an opportunity to share a pearl of wisdom that hopefully lasts a lifetime. But by and large, this summer I have done the learning and my babes have done the teaching. So my back-to-school essay will be entitled “What I’ve Learned From My Kids This Summer.”
- Dream Big. We’ve heard it before. It has come out of my mouth a million times. But it’s watching the big dreams unfold that is inspiring. My son has played baseball since he was three. There’s nothing cuter than the tee ball pile-up. All the little kids run for the ball and have more fun making a pile than actually catching the ball. Every year for the last eight years, springtime means evenings at the ballpark, lawn chairs, extended conversations with other moms in between our kids’ at-bats, siblings playing, and dads coaching. It’s a springtime ritual that I’ve grown to love. Well this spring ended on a high note. After a super-exciting season in which our team (Drewett + Brenden Architecture) placed 1st for the league and 3rd in the season-ending tournament, Langdon was selected to play on the 11 year-old All-Star team. He was so honored to have earned a coveted spot among this group of boys. Our summer of All-Star practice and tournaments was like dessert over and over — SWEET! He’s now planning how he’ll practice and prepare for next year’s baseball season. The All-Star team finished third in the state. But the best part was the smile on my boy’s face when the big dream became reality.
- Laugh More. I’m a pretty serious and focused person. Yes, I have a sense of humor. And I married the funniest person I’ve ever met. But being as goal-oriented as I am, I tend to get lost inside of my focus and forget to enjoy the life I’m living. My daughter is the cure for that. Every day, she reminds me that laughing is a key part of life. Dinnertime has become a ritual of the same old jokes told in slightly different ways. She’s just young enough that she thinks her knock-knock jokes are funny even when they don’t make sense. All we can do is laugh. And kids say the darndest things (wasn’t that a TV show?). Here was our conversation last night. Me: Oh, Reagan, you’re sleeping with Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Reagan: Yes, mom. They got married yesterday. Me: Oh, that’s wonderful. Are they going to have a bunch of little mouse babies? Reagan: Well, Minnie is only pregnant on Thursdays. [I’m laughing all over again.]
- Pray Daily. The economic fall-out of the last two years has been devastating for so many. I’m thankful to be in Louisiana where we seem to be so insulated from the national economic woes (but certainly not those of hurricanes and oil spills). And my heart aches for Arizona, where we spent 14 years living life with wonderful friends and family. Arizona has felt the impact of the Great Recession so severely that the state currently operates on 70% of it’s 2006 income. It drives me to pray daily for those who are suffering. I’ve always said that it’s the valleys in life that help us appreciate and give thanks for the mountains. The tough times remind me that I am not in control. And I am thankful for the One that is. Praying daily reminds me that my life remains in the capable hands of a creator who made something from nothing. Every night after prayers, the Drewett family shares one or two things for which they are thankful that day. Hearing those sweet words from the lips of my babies is another reminder of the many blessings, undeserved, that God has heaped into our lives.
- Play Outside. You know, southern girls don’t sweat, they glisten. I’m not a big fan of glistening. Once I get the hair done and the makeup just right, I’m done for the day. A redo is not on my agenda. But the kids entice me to join their fun. One Sunday afternoon this summer, the Drewett family got dressed and headed to the tennis courts. Yes, it was terribly hot. But ice water poured on your head will cool you down quickly. Our afternoon swatting at tennis balls and mostly chasing the ones we missed was a much-needed and long-remembered family bonding. We all got some much needed Vitamin D from the sun we soaked up, and the exercise was great for the body and the soul. I was gently reminded on this day that any girl can get motivated for anything (even 95 degree heat and impending sweat) if she has the right outfit. There’s just nothing cuter than a tennis skirt.
I’m sure there’s more learning to come. I think a lot about how to be a good parent. I consider constantly what my actions are teaching my children. But this summer, it seems that their actions were the defining part of my summer. They reminded me to live. And to enjoy. And to be thankful. And to soak up the sun.
And that, my friends, completes my essay on “What I Learned During Summer Vacation.” I wonder if Mrs. Barmore (my fifth grade teacher) would give me an A?
(The above article was published in The Minute Magazine, August/September edition).
