(Reminds me of the good ole' days when we started school after Labor Day. Good luck friends.)
'Twas the night before school started and all through the house,
While visions of summertime still danced in their heads.
My husband and I, exhausted beyond a doubt,
Had just pulled the wide range of lunch fixings out.
We packed plastic baggies with fresh fruit and snacks,
Filled water bottles and searched for ice packs.
For the next day a new school year would begin,
The thought of the kids back in school made us grin.
We love our children, now don't get me wrong,
But this year our summer was unusually long.
Beach days, star-gazing, camping, and more,
Kayaking, barbecues and friends galore.
'Twas a memorable summer, chalked full of fun,
But after twelve weeks, like most, we were done.
The teachers were needed to make some new rules,
To reign in our wild ones, to retrain these fools!
For seven full hours, they'd teach them cool things,
And inspire them with knowledge that each new day brings.
Math facts, fluency and science were all in store,
Kindness, respect, "best effort" and more.
For seven full hours, they would use their brains,
While we hoped that last year's facts were retained.
The backpacks were ready, not one thing was missed,
Stuffed with the "suggested" supplies from the LIST.
Their outfits were hanging, so fresh and so clean,
Collared shirts for the boys, a new dress for our teen.
We hoped in the morning they'd be alert and lively,
But cute, well-dressed zombies was way more likely.
Our late summer evenings and sleeping past nine,
Made it impossible to get to sleep on time.
Their cranky demeanor surely couldn't last,
A week of early rising would fix them up fast.
The new year was exciting, grades four, five and eight,
And once we adjusted it was sure to be great.
The things of the summer that we'd surely miss:
Playing and late nights and sleeping in -- BLISS!
Things we were ready to put in the past:
Messes and fighting and being harassed.
"Mom, he touched me," and "She took my stuff,"
Or "I'm bored," "I don't want to," and "My life is so rough."
The constant demand for friends, cash and food,
"I swear kids, one more request and I'll come unglued!"
Yes, summer was over and it was a good thing,
We needed a break from all the bickering.
And the kids needed learning, no more TV or Wii,
Tomorrow would start school and a slew of activity.
Which meant for us parents a different type of work,
The lax days of summer replaced with homework.
We'd be needed for chauffeuring, reading logs and more,
Thursday folders, concerts and flash cards galore!
But as we look back on the first weeks of school,
Maybe missing the trips to the beach or the pool.
Or maybe we're dancing cuz they're out of our hair,
Either way, there's one thing that we certainly share.
Come May when we've gotten through standardized tests,
When we're all done with essays and science projects.
We'll longingly look at the year that has past,
And say to ourselves "Summertime...at last!"
{J}
