Summer is here and everyone is abuzz with excitement and happiness...except me.
Why?
Because summer throws care out the window, routines become obsolete. Schedules disappear...and so does my sanity!
My husband and I have spent the better part of the past 8 and 1/2 years creating schedules for our now four children, mainly because we find that to let things just happen, spells disaster. We learned from our first child, who was and still is for that matter a creature of habit...has to know exactly what will happen, when or you just can't tell her anything at all. We pride ourselves on setting a routine that allows our children to have the best of us all day long with the understanding that at 8pm, mom and dad get their time and "you must go to bed or (for the older ones) go do something quiet that does not require mom and dad."
Well summer has been testing those rules and this being the first summer with four, has been especially challenging. We can't get into a rhythm. We can't find a clear routine. Every time we want to put our foot down and say, "no more exceptions, bedtime is 8pm!" here comes interruptions like impromptu ice cream runs and that little known holiday, called the 4th of July! Can't send the kids to bed at 8pm and expect them to see any fireworks. Dang it!
Maybe I need to embrace the laid back nature of summer? Maybe I should throw caution to the wind and let my soon-to-be three year old wander aimlessly until he drops of exhaustion at night? Maybe setting a bedtime routine for a 9 month old is overrated? I just don't know.
I do know September can't get here fast enough. However, then I will be in the throws of everything back to school and overwhelmed with schedules, routines and rules. Maybe the saying the grass isn't always greener, was created just for me. I am going to try to embrace this summer energy because no matter how frenzied, summer will be gone before I know it.
I totally relate to this. We've tried to keep the bedtime going and be flexible sometimes. Over the 4th of july we had a beach picnic and this was the first year I just had no expectations on the bedtime and figured no matter how late we all went to be it would be ok. ( I used to get anal about them getting dirty or sand in their hair requiring a bath before bed and who wants to bath tired children after 9 at night etc.) I just let go.
ReplyDeleteWe did end up having one of the best beach picnics I've had since I had kids. We stayed for fireworks and left only b/c my youngest began to sream that the fireworks were too loud ( amateur ones being set to go off directly above our heads- fantastic but LOUD) and they didn't get into bed until 11 at night!!! But both pretty much passed out and we went to bed and passed out and it was all ok. Now we are back to 8pm for bedtime for now. I and my oldest like routines though so I def balance letting it go with having a nice routine and schedule to keep me sane!