Pack ‘em up, Hug ‘em out the door, Slamma Damma Ding Dong it’s (basically) Fall!
Ah, Labor Day is here. The kids are starting school. If your kids are pre college, this might be a tough transition time for you. You went a bit feral this Summer, didn’t you? What’s that in your hand? A glass? Still got sand in your bum? Well, pull it together Mama because you’ve got drop off tomorrow.
And for those of us whose kids are in college…stop that grinning. No don’t. You held your breath all Summer while they lived at home working an internship. Or not. You stayed around because even cats like to have company, and this was your kid. So.
Emerge from your room, fellow moms! It’s safe to wander the house and express your happy self. To say dumb things and make annoying observations. To….ask questions. You won’t get shut down! Glared at. Ignored. You can talk to your pets now and not feel self conscious! Or weird! You’re good!
Don’t get me wrong. I love having a kid around. And, she was working! She saw a doctor! She ate healthily! She didn’t drink a lot! She left every weekend! So did we!
Milestone?
It’s my youngest’s senior year in college. That’s a milestone, right? Am I supposed to sob and remember dropping her at her first day of nursery school? Reflect that all her schooling is over? Well, it’s probably not, anyway. As college kids are quick to remind us, there is grad school to consider! I’m happy for the kids to be moving into “real life.” (Don’t laugh all you people with older kids who know that there is a thin line between college and “real life” and your wallet is the line and it’s thin).
"Real life” is a funny phrase, isn’t it? Like, what does working in “real life” feel like? Does “real life” include family vacations, despite being out of school and in the “work force”? Apparently, it does!
I still went on neat trips with my parents when I was out of college. I am an only child, so they might not have even noticed I was there. But, these kids, my kids, are planning all sorts of trips and their Dad and I are like “but you have a job. I’m sure you can’t get the ti….”
“We work remotely! We can be anywhere in the world!” they interrupt us before we can finish. What the hell is this? How does anything get done when no one is at their desk? How do they learn from their piers? How do their get noticed by their bosses? Why didn’t we get to do that? I hope my future doctor doesn’t do this virtual reality thing. What is Labor Day without the labor??
Think of all the things that our kids won’t/don’t experience by not having to be in the office five days a week, 8AM-6PM with only two weeks’ vacation for the first decade of working? With their little shoes in a bag and hustling to work in sneakers? Also in the bag? Work out stuff! Their little lunch! None of this happens from what I am told, anymore.
They don’t need a whole wardrobe, three seasons worth (if you live north), filled with mix and match Ann Taylor suits! (I talked about all this a few years ago in the post below). Shopping the end of sales to save money. BTW, Where do our kids seem to get all this money they have?
You get the idea.
That’s all I have time for, this Labor Day rant session is over. It’s time to watch tennis!
Stay tuned for the next Maven5Q!
Anyone still have a kid in school? What are your end of summer thoughts on that?