A Summer to Remember
Summer can be stressful for households with working parents. Summer camps are not cheap, and they fill up by mid-April. And then there are those that seem amazing, but they are from 9am – 1pm. I mean, don’t they know people work? What am I supposed to do the rest of the day? This is dilemma that I have found myself in since my kids stopped attending daycare.
But this summer was different. And by far the best summer.
My mom, who lives out of state offered to come and live with us for the summer. I often vented to her about those awesome camps with the horrible hours. So, she decided to help out and be Grammy on duty so my kids could attend these camps. Now, I will be honest, I had my reservations about this arrangement. It has been a long time since I have lived under the same roof as my mom for a prolonged period. Also, a grandmother’s main joy in life is to spoil grandkids, and I didn’t want too much of that. My mom is retired, and her days are spent relaxing and doing what she wants when she wants. To have her be responsible for the schedule of a 7- and 8-year-old seemed like a big ask. Let me be clear, I love my kids, but they are a lot! Active, inquisitive, outspoken, loud, messy, and busy bodies. I worried that she could not handle it.
The first camp we explored was a local gymnastics camp for my youngest daughter. She has danced for the last two years, but recently expressed interest in gymnastics. But she was undecided as to whether she wanted to quit dance for gymnastics. We enrolled her in the camp to help her make that decision. Yes, I am empowering my 7-year-old make that decision. She loved the camp and had since decided to make the move to gymnastics.
Up next was a three-week performing arts camp. Both of my girls attended this camp. The camp was an amazing experience for both of them. They auditioned and landed parts in the end of camp performance. Not only did they learn their parts, but they also assisted in making the set and costumes. The three weeks ended with a two-night performance. To see my girls come alive on that stage made my mama heart proud.
They have already requested to attend next year!
Then there were swimming lessons. My girls knew the basics of swimming but had never taken professional swimming lessons. Considering we had a big family trip planned that involved lots of water, we figured now was the time. Swimming lessons were a little more challenging than expected, but the girls persisted and finished with their swimming certificates.
And then we were off to volleyball camp. My oldest daughter is extremely athletic and loves volleyball. We enrolled her in the camp to help her hone her skills for the upcoming season. She was also able to make some new friends and see old friends from school.
The summer was also filled with trips to the library, Target and Starbucks runs. Lots of cookies and ice cream and things they did not need but loved. This summer allowed my girls to spend lots of quality time with their Grammy. It gave me some time to spend time with mom and have some girl’s nights. And an added bonus was date nights with my hubby.
My family ended this amazing summer with us taking a family cruise. Grammy is now back home, resting and reminiscing on her summer with her busy body granddaughters.
