Why I Dislike Summer Vacation...

Why I Dislike Summer Vacation, by Autumn

My dislike of summer vacation is threefold. The first, and probably most important, reason is the same reason I don't like weekends...too many people. In my house. In case you haven't been following along (and why would you, my last post was 9 months ago!) my family of 5 is currently crammed into a two bedroom house, waiting with bated breath for the completion of our fabulous new addition that will triple our square footage and restore sanity to the land. But for now, when all five us are home at the same time...I go a little crazy. I breathe a little sigh of relief every week when hubby and children cheerful go off to work/school, leaving me alone with the toddler to assess the damage of the weekend's chaos. The Peanut can nap peacefully on the couch without the inevitability of someone slamming the door or yelling at one another to turn down the music that is blaring from all five rooms of the house (yes, including the bathroom). I can vacuum the floor and it will stay crumb-free for at least 30 minutes. Bliss. The only dishes that get dirty are a yogurt spoon, a peanut-butter knife and a coffee cup. Wonderful. I can use the bathroom...well, no, I still have company, but we're not looking for miracles here.

Now, imagine a world without those blissful Mondays. That, my friends, is summer vacation.

Reason #2: Everyone plans things for summer. Going through my schedule, I have three weddings, several BBQ's, a couple baby or bridal showers, and all the local "festivals" like the rodeo and Boat Float. So, on top of any chaos my weekends already possessed, now we are adding dress clothes and gifts. Because I clearly didn't have enough to do. Not only are they taking away my downtime, but they are actually amping up the crazy.

Reason #3: Everyone thinks that kids are sleeping-in and watching TV all summer, right? Uh, no. They are still up at the crack of dawn, which gives them more hours to fight with each other and complain about how "bored" they are. We have five acres of land, but the Teen and the Angel have to sit on the same couch and argue about whose turn it is to pick a movie. (We don't have TV, mostly because of the "whose turn is it" debacle) Not only that, but between Driver's Ed for the Teen and the many summer lessons and activities for the Angel, we will be running around more than we ever do during the school year! How can I be a "stay at home" mom when I am making 12 trips to town everyday? This is like some kind of psychological experiment, only I'm not in the group that's getting the "good drugs".

I know that there has been a debate about the length of the school year, and it is being argued that it is better for the students if school is in session year round. I don't know who these fools are that are arguing against it, but be warned...I'm looking for you. I would imagine that if it were to be put to a vote sometime during the second week in August, it would pass with flying colors. My kids have been out of school for 4 days, and I'm already there!