I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’m looking forward to Summer. And I don’t mean just because it’s warm and sunny and I’m a happier person. I definitely don’t mean that I’m looking forward to having the kids out of school and home with me for two months. What I mean is that I’m looking forward to slowing down. I don’t know about you, but Spring ended up becoming my worst nightmare. I always prided myself on being that parent that didn’t over-schedule their kids. And guess what? I over-scheduled our kids!
So how did I get here? I signed my boys up for programs of their choosing that they love. And I mean LOOOOVE!! Now that ball hockey is over Ryan has already started counting down to when it starts again next year. I also had them signed up for baseball (T-ball for Nate). For good measure, I also signed up Ryan for soccer last minute because he said that was his favourite sport. Also, did I mention that this was the first year that I had all 3 of them signed up? That’s right… Nate is now old enough to participate in the programs that he watched his brothers play the last couple years. Also, Kyle decided to try out for the ball-hockey select team this year. That’s right, two more ball-hockey games per week on top of the aforementioned!! In case you can’t read through the lines… I’m inhaling and exhaling continuously as I write all of this down. It can make even the most organized person feel a little crazy!
So you’re probably thinking to yourself – why are you complaining? You signed your kids up for programs that they love – so what?? Here’s where things don’t add up. There’s three of them, and just two of us. Sometimes their programs overlap and we had to be in two different places across town at the same time. Not to mention, by the time we got home most nights it was past Nate’s bed time and he needed some time to decompress before he could actually fall asleep. Most nights they went to bed dirty and late and it just became our norm. However, we paid for it the next day when they were grumpy, weepy and uncooperative. The thing is, we were never able to catch up because we only had two free nights without any extracurricular activities. I was basically going slightly insane trying to get them where they needed to go and keep my cool when they were losing theirs.
Thankfully, all of the programs were Spring sessions and they all ended this past week and I made a point of not signing them up for any summer activities (outside of their day camps). I’m looking forward to slowing down and enjoying weekends at the cottage without any schedules or rushing to get anywhere. I’m looking forward to sleeping in, lazy days at the playground and my kids telling me that they are ‘bored’. Most importantly, I’m looking forward to not feeling stressed!
The thing is, my kids didn’t feel the stress. They loved every second of ball hockey and baseball. They loved their teammates and coaches and were sad when it all came to an end this past week. So will I do it again next year? I guess only time will tell but I’ll be sure to revisit this post so I can be a little more prepared (mentally and emotionally) next time.