Camp Mom Closes for Season

Whew. Summer's over.

I know there's an entire month of meteorological summer ahead of us, but as my only school-aged child left to meet his 4th grade teacher this afternoon (and the preschooler started last week), summer is over at our house. This means that Camp Mom is now officially closed.

Like parents everywhere, I have mixed emotions about the start of another school year. I'm sad to see go the lazy days when we had no particular place to be at any particular hour. The sometimes impromptu, often loosely pre-planned, picnics, playground outings, museum visits, swimming excursions, bike rides to DQ, train rides to nowhere in particular ... I will miss those.

I'm also not sad to see them go. Because at my core, despite my desire to embrace this chaos that is my life, breathes a woman who thrives on structure.

And the school year, with its four Rs -- reading, 'riting, 'rithmitic and rules, gives us structure.

And, honestly, it gives me a break for a few hours. Because the thing with three boys at home, if you take one of them out of the equation (we're back to 'rithmitic), the two remaining boys get along so much better. It does not matter which boy, or factor, if you will, is removed, the outcome remains the same. A little bit of sanity. Of peace ... no quiet, but peace.

Which is good, because while I was running (and enjoying) Camp Mom this summer, I woefully neglected a few responsibilities around here. So I'd better get back to them now.

Cheers to a happy and productive school year for children and parents (and all of you who put up with us)!