Summertime...

What a child doesn't receive he can seldom later give. ~P.D. James, Time to Be in Earnest

My son and daughter were very excited this morning to be going off to one of the last days of this school year. My 14 year son has planned a trick for his Spanish teacher that included making an enormous pac man costume this weekend. (My garage looks gorgeous splattered in yellow, btw.) My 11 year old daughter packed her bag for field day where she was certain their class would lose since she's been on the winning team her entire school career. (Of course I advised..."you get what you expect").


My kids have been graced with a beautiful life. Their summer days are filled with trips to Kings Island, the Beach, the pool and endless sleepovers. I let them stay up late every single night and sleep in until 2 pm. They have few chores with the exception of laundry, dishwasher and yard. I buy extra junk food and the ice cream truck makes a daily trip through the neighborhood. We see every summer movie on its opening night. They somehow seem to squeeze in 2 exotic vacations (yes...camping is exotic to a kid) and a trip to Cedar Pointe as well.


I want that life.


This thought makes me smile. I've doing my job as mother well. Now you might pause and think that my kids seem a bit spoiled by all this. I hope so. They deserve it. They are super smart, super kind and super helpful. I feel that God has a special purpose for them to help and serve humanity as this planet gets crazier and crazier. That's why he made them so super. I see the future coming for their generation and I fear that they do have suffering coming their way.


I believe my job as a mom is to be the person that can offer my children unconditional love. Between a mother and a child, that's the kind of love where you can see the good, the bad and the ugly and you embrace it all. I've never felt that with any other human, but have always felt it for my children. It's a magical love that I don't ever want to disrupt with the ugly lessons of life. I think the world will teach them all those things. I want my kids to know they are perfect and that there is one person walking this planet who still remembers that about them even when they forget.


So let's ROCK this summer. Enjoy your babies. Get in the freezing cold pools. Ride the roller coasters. Stay up late. Eat a chocolate covered frozen banana. Pitch a tent in the backyard and let the mosquitoes eat you alive! They are only little for a very short time.


Shanti, Pamela