School’s back in session and I’ve managed to get out of bed and get my kids to school for almost two weeks now. It hasn’t been easy, I’ll tell you that. I feel like I’ve gone from sunny river living to foggy mornings- both outside and in my head. It’s not been easy for my kids either. There’s been a few tears, a couple harsh words and increasing pressure to get to bed earlier and earlier.
I’m sooooo reluctant to let go of the dreamy, casual energy of summer.
I had dropped pretty deeply into summer brain, where deadlines became vague and sleeping till 8 was a luxury. I haven’t sent you an update in quite awhile, because I was lost along the river or enjoying friends in my great backyard. Yet time is passing and the seasons shift. Unfortunately, I have yet to figure out how to stop time or control when school starts in the morning, so I’ve got to shift with the seasons and the demands of the school year.
I’m often excited to get started on new routines and get more work hours back in my day, yet it feels harder this year. I notice that as I get older, I want to hold onto the carefree feeling of summer, because most of my time is not carefree (and summer isn’t completely, it’s just easier). Plus, as my kids get older, they take on more and more of the responsibility of going to bed, getting up in the morning and out the door so I have less control of the routines. Their independence is a bonus in some ways- more freedom and flexibility for me, yet when the clocks ticking and we’re going to miss the bus, I have to stand and wait on them to get it together all on their own and that’s HARD.
So we’re trying to figure it out together. I’m slowly letting go of the carefree ways of summer and they’re figuring out what can they do on their own and when they need help. I’m exploring what’s in my control and what’s not. And then I’m learning how to let go. The hardest thing to learn as my kids get older. (And a whole other topic for another day.)
