Here in Montgomery County, June 12 is a day much anticipated by so many of our kids.....THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!! The start of summer vacation!!!!! Opportunities to sleep in and relax, play video games, spend the day lounging at the pool, camps, vacations.......from our kids' perspective, a small piece of Heaven!!!!!
I won't lie to you. I know my kids are excited about the prospect of summer vacation, but I spent much of the last 6 weeks (or so) dreading it. With the end of school comes the end of predictability, the end of routine, the end of the structure Ballerina and Music Man depend upon. That is until late last week.
I was writing a blog post for a blog where I post my thoughts on occasion. I was writing about what the change in routine will do for my Autistic twins. But once I sat down to write my post, it changed into something else. It became a blueprint. A plan. A thought process outlining the various tasks that we could accomplish this summer. School may be out, but learning doesn't have to end. This is a great chance for my 7 year old to develop his independent reading skills, and take the time to teach him how to spell in ways that are FUN. Also, it's a chance to teach him guitar (and to learn myself).
It's also a chance to give Ballerina and Music Man opportunities. They are attending ESY (Extended School Year) in the mornings in July, but their afternoons are free. All of Big Brother's camps are full day so he won't be done until later in the afternoon. That's a chance for me to really focus on their needs rather than them having to share my attention with Big Brother. It's a chance to really work with them in ways that are FUN! We can color together......we can read books together.....we can go to the parks that they like that Big Brother has outgrown......
Learning never stops. It doesn't end when school's out and it doesn't end when we graduate. We learn new things every day. And there's no reason why we can't learn while playing games rather than being tethered to a desk. Our kids know and understand that. As parents, we need to learn from their example.
Happy Summer!!!!!!!
