by Cathy
Yesterday, my kids went back to school after almost two weeks off for spring break. We decided to forgo any trips because we are a) planning on taking one this summer b) it's just one more thing I'd have to schedule and c) we didn't want this to turn in to Spring Broke. Quite frankly, we were all looking forward to a little under-scheduling.
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| There was going to be none of this nonsense. |
The week before, my husband and I were filled with fantastic ideas! Activities! Trips on the train! Museums! I was humming along making lists in my head and envisioning fun, productive days off! Oh, what we will do! Oh, what we will see! This didn't feel like scheduling - this felt like fun planning! Let's take trips to different cities in our own hometown!, we said. Chinatown! Pilsen! Greektown! Little Italy! The world was our oyster and we didn't even have to board one overcrowded plane or wait in one miserable line. Oh, were we gonna be smart. This was genius!
Apparently, we were all looking forward to that under-scheduling more than any of us thought. Each day started off with a glimmer of hope - hope that I'll get them up early enough, hope that they'll still feel like checking out that museum, hope that they'll want to do more than just veg. Alas, it didn't happen. (Not to mention that the weather was more conducive to staying in rather than hitting public transit.) On the days I had to work, I felt bad they were sitting at home, doing nothing. Little did I know, they preferred it that way. I wanted to give them a memorable spring break so when they went back to school and get asked "What did you do over spring break?" they would have a weighty, productive answer, worthy of two weeks time.
So what will they go back with after almost two weeks? ('Two weeks?!' Patti shrieked in an email to me. 'You could have gone to Greece!!') "Oh, we just hung out at home, did lots of shopping, saw a movie, got together with friends and family and just relaxed."
And you know what? That sounds like a break we all deserve.
