School's Out





School’s Out

As a working mother of four children, I did not look forward to the end of the school year. It didn’t matter what age the children were, the last two weeks were a marathon of events. I was never sure I would survive to the end.

“Mom, I cannot possibly pick my brother up from ball practice tomorrow. I have a test in calculus day after tomorrow. There is a picnic at the park Friday for choir members. Can you bake some peanut butter cookies for that? Please. Do you know where that picture of me with Pam and Jennie from the 8^th grade is? A bunch of kids are going to the show Saturday night. Can I go? I have twenty pages to read for history before the final on Monday and my term paper for Mrs. Spencer is due next Tuesday. It can’t be late. This is the most stressful week I will ever have in my life,” my older daughter said flinging shoes, old assignments and her flute from her closet floor. “What was it you wanted me to do now?”

So, the next afternoon I picked my older son up from ball practice in time to take him to his friend’s birthday party. Then I ran to the store and bought ingredients for cupcakes (a cake mix and canned frosting…it’s been a long time since I baked from scratch). My younger son’s class’s end-of-school trip to the park was the next day and somehow I got committed to send cupcakes. Fortunately I remembered to buy peanut butter while at the store.

“Will you take my friends and me to the mall on Saturday, Mom, please?” my second daughter begged. “I’m bored. There’s nothing to do here, ever…oh, I forgot to tell you, there’s an orchestra concert tonight. I have to be there by 6:15."

Time has blurred my memory of most of the activities. My older daughter is now married with three school age children of her own. She teaches middle school and coaches high school swimming. Even she knows she has experienced more stressful weeks than the one before her high school graduation.

While the days leading up to the school year’s end were challenging, the first day school was out for the summer was always a tough day too, especially when the children were too young to drive to summer jobs yet too old to go to daycare or a sitter. There were always many phone calls to me at work.

“Mom, can I ride my bicycle on the highway?”

“Mom, I’m hungry.”

“Mom, I gave the cat a bath. What towel can I use to dry him with when I find him?”

“Mom, Susie touched me on my arm.”

“Mom, I’m hungry.”

“Mom, can I have a drink of pop?”

“Mom, the toilet has a crack in it and it is getting the floor all wet.”

“Mom, I’m hungry, what can I eat?”

I survived. Every year, somehow, I survived. And, so did the kids…and yes, the cat survived too.

Did I mention how beautiful his fur looked after his bath? Of course, it took an hour to coax him out from under the bed, but he looked great!