Sharing the Day

My Youngest spent his first day of school holidays with my daycare family and me. And it was good.

The kids love him. He is so good with them. Firm, yet kind. He sees all that I see, but more. He gave them a piece of himself and then they played independently (for a while).

I love him too. I am not quite sure how long he was awake (we were pouring cereal, so it was very early in the day) when he looked at me and said (something to the effect of), "You really need to talk to someone, don't you?" Yes. Yes, I do. Talking in complete, meaningful sentences is a lost art form by Wednesday. You have no idea how much I need to talk. Especially as the week progresses.

We went on a small 'adventure' (okay, okay ... I was able to walk with the kids and run a few errands at the same time) and we ended our outing with lunch at McDonald's. We spent a few hours out of the house and it was good. My Youngest tagged along and pushed the stroller sometimes ... opened doors for us other times. "How would you manage if I wasn't here?" he asked. Oh, where there is a will, there is a way. It's amazing how resourceful one can be when it comes to finding ways to expand your day's horizons.

By the time we got home, there was little time to do anything but get cleaned up and wind down for nap time. At 12:30, the house is quiet and we watch an episode of "Berenstain Bears" (I love the lessons that those animated bears teach children. And me). At 1:00 (or thereabouts), the sleeping begins. The house is silent until (approximately) 3:00. Those two hours sustain me. I need no verbal interaction of any kind. The quieter the better. Thankfully My Son was of the same mind yesterday. I didn't say one word ... and he vanished into the oasis he calls his room.

My Son was up and about before my daycare kids woke up. "Now what will you do?" he wondered. Much depends upon the waking times of my little people. I have one rule. "You don't wake a sleeping child". If they are tired, let them sleep! The world is a much better place when children are well rested.

Yesterday, they awoke close enough to the same time that we still had a fair little bit of time for outdoor play. The skies were gray but they didn't look ominous. At least not in the back yard ...

My Son brought out some outdoor playground equipment. The kids played on that. He suggested they run. And they did that too. They wandered over to the playground and climbed and slid. They played in the sand. Then it started to thunder. Then it started to rain...

My Son ran about the yard, putting the play equipment away and gathered up my little ones to bring them into the playhouse. He didn't want the youngest one to get too wet in the rain and the older one cried because he wasn't getting carried, so my son went back and retrieved him too. I have no idea what I was doing, that My Son was doing all of the work (other than sitting back and taking notes!?!!).

We played with the toys in the playhouse and My Son started wondering how much longer this day was going to last. He was looking just a little bit weary.

"I'm not sure how often I'll do this," he said at the end of a very long day. "Maybe I'll go on some of your adventures ... but this isn't how I want to spend my summer holidays."

"How would you like to do this all day, Monday through Friday ... for the rest of your life?" I asked.

"The rest of my life is a very long time ..." he responded.

I think he will continue to pursue his own dreams. I believe My Boy will go far with his education. The rest of his life is going to last for a very long time. The sky is the limit when you set out and take on your life. It is a good lesson in life to work at jobs that teach you, "I don't want to do this for the rest of my life!"