Two words that can be nice are hot and sticky. When you place those words at end of June and beginning of July they are likely not all that nice. They haven’t been all that nice.
Like specific holidays, summer’s the season of vacation—without the many weeks off granted not just to kids but also to adults in say, Europe. I’d venture it’s the time of year when the difference between expendable income for pleasurable purposes and tighter personal budgets are most glaringly apparent. At the extreme, it’s a second home you can stay in whenever you like for as long as you like or the fabulous adventures your children jet off to that cost as much as private school tuition. At the less extreme, it might be the swim club membership or central air-conditioning or not using your time off to cover the days when daycare is closed.
Instagram may not help matters.
For whatever reason, we’ve had some grumpy, disgruntled and sad moments over the past few days. However understandable those feelings are—and they are, and they happen especially when the air is hot and sticky without a break—I did find myself last night fervently wishing that we could just declare the day-to-day abandoned right here right now and jet off somewhere fabulous. Goodbye, hot, goodbye, sticky. Hello, somewhere fabulous.
I’m embarrassed to admit that was my wish.
Especially when the truth is that one of the best moments over the last few days actually occurred when the rain began to pour on Sunday and we hid out at our friends’ house in their living room. Sure, it was no longer lounging by their pool or better yet in it—thunder and lightning precluded that option—but the kids were busy and adorable and the adults were schmoozy and that’s the triumphant summer mission right there.
Just before the storm, the toddler busily ate the blueberry buckle he had to have. “I need cake,” was the direct quote that resulted in the baking of said buckle. Who would refuse such clarity and such a good idea? Even when everyone is spent, to find three good things is alarmingly easy: the berries (obviously), the friends (even more obviously) and the fact that when I walked downstairs this morning I didn’t greet oppressive heat, even if it’s rainy.
Later, even if it involves the air conditioner’s employment I will apply hot and sticky to jam-in-process.
Three to share:
An article on what mothers who work most want that doesn’t involve the words lean or in: flexibility. Quote: “Motherhood should be a feather in my cap, not a drawback.”
My essay on Brain Child this week is about my unwillingness to take a bottle away from my five year-old-daughter.
A Dutch study finds that kids who walk or bike to school concentrate better. To learn this represented my “good mom” moment of yesterday.
