Back to school already?! As we walked into the middle school for open house yesterday I felt like I had just been there a few days ago for the last day of school awards ceremony. However, it had been 73 days. And just like that—74 days of summer are done, and the kids went back to school today. Yes, it is the first week of August.
What happened to going back to school after Labor Day? I realize some schools up north still have weeks of summer left. They also were still in school when we were already starting our many summer adventures. However, I think we have this whole concept backwards. August in the South is hot. Very hot. And humid. Not just a little warm. Africa hot with tropical moisture. The afternoon thunderstorms are still arriving. The grass in my yard is still growing. The geese that arrived last spring are even still here! Mother Nature says it is still summer! Today would have been a great pool day with a high of 90 degrees and sunny to partly cloudy skies. Sounds like summer to me!
I can complain all day about the early start date, but it isn’t going to change the fact that my kids went back to school today. 74 days of summer went by in the blink of an eye. So quickly that we were still cleaning out backpacks from last school year at 8:00 last night. To their credit, at least they agreed to recycle the backpacks this year instead of insisting on a new one. After purchasing 7 binders, all the discounted notebook paper I could find (2 packs at a time—I didn’t want the cashiers to know I’m really hoarding school supplies), 48 #2 wooden pre-sharpened pencils, several boxes of colored pencils, glue sticks, numerous other items, plus a calculator that would have made high school math so much easier back in my day—we were ready for the last two school-age kids to get their learning on! Off they went to school this morning carrying a load of school supplies that looked like they were about to hike the Appalachian Trail instead of riding a school bus.
Summer was busy but went by like a blur. The first day of school started smoothly, even with someone forgetting their glasses they need to see the board. Easy fix! They were ready 20 minutes early. No one cried. Everyone ate some breakfast. No one changed their outfit a million times. No one was late for school. Sounds like a success story to me. Now….how many days until next summer?