Panic! Summer's Almost Over!

"It goes by too fast."  That's what I hear.  And I know it's true because I've seen it with my own eyes: younger cousins that I still think of as toddlers, who are now taller than me with goatees or, if they're female, bra sizes larger than mine.  I know it's true because I've seen it in my own kids.  I was in a hurry to get them out of their infancies and toddler years because those were trying times for me, but now that we've arrived at that destination, I'm thinking, "Alright, slow down already!"

It goes by too fast.  And that's why, at the beginning of summer, I determined to make the most of our uninterrupted time together.  I pondered over what I wanted them to get out of this summer, what lessons were the most valuable for them to learn, what skills and experiences I wanted them to have by the time school started in the fall.

I filled our days with swim lessons and family visits, space camp, piano lessons, workouts/playtime at the YMCA, and sometimes just plain ole nothing to do.  I really do think having nothing to do is a very important thing to have, especially for young imaginations.  It was all great.  Really fun.  Relaxing.  Enjoyable.

But when summer quickly began wrapping up, I started to panic.  I looked back over our summer and wondered what I did with it all.  How could I account for all those days and hours we spent together?  Were they well used?  And what about the things we didn't do or didn't do enough of?

After a day at the beach last week, I felt relieved that we finally did something summer-ish, something that would count for a "What did you do this summer?" essay.  Feeling (insanely) inspired to continue that trend to the fullest, I pulled out my calendar and visually filled up the remaining week-and-a-half with things I felt we must do before summer is over.  We didn't see our Mimi enough: two days for that.  We didn't go to the pool enough: two days for that.  A summer movie tomorrow, bike riding tonight, one more beach day. That ought to do it.

I felt a bit better once I had it all jotted down.  We would spend the last two weeks of summer in a frenzy of activity, but we would succeed in the category of "summer fun" or at least I would bust my buns trying!

I have enjoyed the last two weeks of summer, packed to the max with outings.  But the contrast between these two weeks and the slower, easier, early majority of our summertime has prompted reflection.  I also enjoyed the slower days where Isaac played video games galore and we filled our time with sleeping in, the YMCA, Lego-Barbie (them), and nap time (me).   Both my kids have a basic understanding of the piano and are interested in learning more.  That's something they learned because of me.  I planned it and brought it to fruition.  Win.  I also planned that we would start learning some Tagalog (language of the Philippines) phrases together.  I bought a book and some flashcards.  We studied them two days and then never picked it up again.  Fail.

But, they also learned things I did not plan.  Abby now knows how to swim without a float.  Isaac can ride a bike without training wheels.  They are both taller and smarter than they were two-and-a-half months ago and it has nothing to do with me.  I can't schedule it or plan it.  I thank God that my children learn and grow in spite of me.  Anything I add to it with success is sprinkles on the cake of God's genius design for growing children.

"A man’s heart plans his way, 
      But the LORD directs his steps."
Proverbs 16:9


That takes a lot of burden off my shoulders.  No need to panic.  Relax and enjoy the time, peaceful and slow or action-packed as it may be.  


So, to record some of our last-minute summer fun, I'm including a follow up post to this one with some random pics of our last 2 weeks of summer.  Whew.