School's Winding Down

I believe it was Alice Cooper who sang, "School's Out." I just thought of him when I wrote the title. Looked up the lyrics and decided to change the title of this post. The lyrics are too apropos to "todays" schools. I won't write the lyrics here as they are even more relevant now. I don't remember school being so violent when I was going. I don't remember the words being so right on. Were there scary things going on back in the late 70's? Must have been. Or perhaps, just in Alice's head.

I find this time of year to be bittersweet. I looked forward to summer as all kids do. Fun to do whatever we liked. Days on the beach gone by. Hanging out at the mall. Staying up and out late on hot summer nights. Nothing was planned for me by my parents. No activities to keep me busy, hour after hour, day after day, to keep me from being bored. I was not bored often. I had to learn to deal with my boredom on my own. It was a self taught lesson that kids today never learn. It is sad.

Kids today, are so wrapped up in what activities their parents and sign them up and pay for. Kids are easily bored. Game boys, video games, computers, cable tv, dvd players, cell phones, text messaging, all new to the kids of today. Going out to play and making lifelong friends with the kids in the neighborhood? Gone. Too many scary things out there. Or is it just the media telling us about the scary things 24/7. We had an hour or two of news a day when I was a kid. Not this endless stream of talking heads in different outfits saying....blah blah blah.

The nervous energy of going to a new grade or new school. The anticipation of things to come. Thinking about new school clothes, new friends, all near the end of summer vacation. But for now, the anticipation of summer. Trying to keep the kids from becoming bored is now my job. Or is it? I think my job this summer is to let them learn how to deal with boredom and figure out how to have fun, alone or with somebody else. How to make their own plans. How to deal with sometimes doing absofuckinglutely nothing! Yes, that is what kids should learn this summer. No special programs set up to keep them busy and over played. Let them use their brains and figure things out or God help us when they grow up. Bored adults. No, I will not let them become bored adults. Quality time, lifelong lessons are on tap for this summer upon us.

My oldest will begin high school next year. The time has flown by. I was told when they were little that the time flies. But I didn't know it would be jet propelled. High school. Wow. Take the time to cherish your little ones. On those long nights where you think you will never sleep again, you will. Looking back, I miss those times now. But, I love the young women my girls have become.

So, this summer....Learn to make fun for yourself. Have a blast. Enjoy it while you can. Take each day as it comes. Make plans for yourself. Keep busy. Be idle. Be bored. The world will not come to an end. Just the summer.