Summer break. As a parent you think you can take an extra breath. I don't have to wake my children up for school, make sure they're fed and clean first thing in the mornings, taxi them off, pick them up, check on the homework, schedule my schedule around their sports schedule to work for their schedule, make sure the uniforms were clean (which btw I thought would be easier, but turned out to be much harder to stay on top of) Sounds like a little bonus right?? Well I thought so anyway. Suddenly I’m expected to be instant Executive Entertainment Director. Not to say that when I was a child I didn’t have my moments of boredom, but good grief these kids these days! I’ll speak for my three in particular.

So summer break started last Thursday with the final day of school. It was an ‘early out’ day on top of being the last day of school. First off, I never got ‘early out’ days the ENTIRE time I was in school… EVER, but that’s another topic. I have to work throughout the afternoons and last weekend I had several live broadcasts I had to work. Now I understand and even remember how exciting those first few days of summer break can be to a child (contrary to what my children may think). Sleep in, lounge around, stay up late, munch all though the day like a goat on a mission. I remember, BUT… somewhere in the generation gap I don’t understand how my children can be bored in one week! One week… seriously? They’ve gone to friend’s homes, friends have come to ours. We’ve gone swimming, to the mall, movies, BBQs, played Frisbee at the school track and out to eat more than once or twice. That’s a very full week of on goings especially for me when you add my work schedule into it.

It started Tuesday and again today. You know…. the dreaded “I’m bored” and the “what are we going to do today” Ummm I don’t know, how about clean your room or pick up your own mess?! I knew it would eventually come out of their mouths as it does every summer break. I guess I just didn’t expect it so dang soon! The norm is at the end of summer when I long for school to start as well. It baffles me by the boredom levels these days. I honestly don’t remember being a bored child. Do you? Granted those were different times with less bells and whistles to play with, but that’s just my point. How can my kids who have the privilege of so many things I never had growing up still be able to look me in the eye and tell me they’re bored. We’ve got a large backyard, a pool, they’ve got bikes & scooters and friends who live near by. TVs, DVDs, stereos, computers. They’ve got phones which they can and do spend hours texting on. We’ve got a cat and a big playful dog. A school track and field right down the road, games tucked away on the shelf, books galore to read and arts and crafts. Toys and cameras. Only when I tell them I’ll find something for them to do is when they become more creative. Is it just me or have kids lost a sense of imagination or did their thought process just shut off with the last day of school.  

Summer Break they call it? For who is the question?!