Hurray! Summer is finally here: Sunday barbecues, family vacations, and half-day Fridays. Everyone loves summer, right? Except every once in a while, you'll run into moms who dread summer -- at least a little. Summer Scrooges. You know who you are.
I'm not passing judgment here. In fact, I used to be one of them! I dreaded the fiftieth day of sitting by the kiddie pool, slathered in sunscreen and praying not to burn. I sat through noisy play dates making small talk, silently wishing I was home taking a nap or starting on dinner. It's not that we don't love our kids, but even superheroes need the occasional day off!
My kids graduated the kiddie pool years ago, and summer is now as easy for me as any other season. My neighbor Dana, however, has a seven-year-old: a beautiful, bouncy, Energizer Bunny in pigtails. Dana's husband works odd hours, and they have no family nearby. Being new in town, their network is small, and Dana sometimes feels a little...trapped. I suggested that she leave their daughter, Libby, with me for a few days. What a gift! How many times I wished someone would do that for me, and it never happened! So of course, they accepted.
Little did we know, as they headed off to a mountain spa retreat, that the gift went both ways. Libby was not a burden; she was a delight! Her joyful innocence reminded me of how much fun we had before our kids hit puberty. Seven-year-olds are not too cool to sing and dance in the living room. They like to crayon after breakfast, and play dress-up after dinner. They are not embarrassed to hold hands when they cross the street, and their faces light up when we give them a popsicle.
One day Libby asked me about the necklace I was wearing, and I told her a story about it. The next day, she wanted another story. When I was about Libby's age, a girl I knew had a beautiful porcelain doll, and I used to dream that the doll was real. We had wonderful adventures together, and I told Libby all about them. When I was finished, she sat quietly on the sofa with her hands in her lap. Wow, I thought to myself. That was a good story. She's speechless!
Finally Libby spoke. "Really, Sylvia?! Is that it?!" I nodded. She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh. I liked the necklace story a lot better."
Okay, so maybe I'm a little out of practice, but we had a few fun days. I would do it again!
I thoroughly enjoyed my children's younger years. I've also enjoyed watching them grow up and become more independent. I do not want to turn back time and raise them again, nor do I want another small child that I can't give back when their parents get home. But having Libby around let me be a kid again!
Maybe that was the real gift: not a few days off for Dana and her husband, and not the nostalgia for my own kids' childhoods, but permission to play pretend and to make up tooth-brushing songs. Being an adult all the time can get awfully dull! If you happen to be in the position to do a 'favour' like this for a family you know, I highly recommend that you jump at the chance.
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