What I Learned from Being with My Kids All Summer Long

We are down to the last weeks of summer break before school begins. In the past, during summer break, my kids either went to summer camp or stayed at Grandma’s house while both my husband and I worked. This is the first time in years that I was able to spend the entire summer with my kids at home.
Here’s what I learned:
1. They are around 24/7 and are hungry 16/7.
The only time they are not asking for food is when they are asleep, seriously. I am to the point of pulling my hair out. Who would think that a 12-year old and 6-year old boy could eat so friggin’ much?! It’s breakfast, snack, brunch, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, dessert, and one last final bedtime snack. I cannot comprehend how they did not gain one single pound despite all that eating and munching. And to think I complained about how tired I was of packing their lunches for school, now I worry they’ll starve to death once they go back.

2. My name is not mom, it’s “mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, moooooooooooom!”
I’m seriously going bat crazy with all this “mom”-ing. I can’t even escape it in my secret haven, the bathroom. It follows me wherever I go, wherever I turn to, even when I leave the house to go get the mail. I sometimes think they don’t even realize they’re calling me. The other day, I tiptoed past them to the kitchen while they were playing on their iPads, and the youngest one called out “mom” very loudly. Startled, I turned around and said, “yes?” “Oh nothing,” he said. Aaaaah!

3. When one speaks to me, the other simply cannot wait his turn to speak to me too.
This is bizarre to me because they can both go a very long time without saying anything to me, but when one suddenly has something to share with me, the other simply cannot wait to tell me his story. This is especially frustrating for all involved because they both have stories that practically never end, so as you can imagine I find myself moderating to no end.

4. Having an early riser and a late riser does not bode well for anyone.
I still can’t quite understand how this happened, and when and how their schedules went so off kilter from one another. My older son can’t seem to stay up past 10 p.m. and is generally up by 7 a.m., while my younger one is still jumping around at midnight and sleeping in till 11 a.m. My older son gets annoyed at all the racket my little one makes at bedtime, while the little one gets annoyed at his brother’s loud awakening in the mornings. It’s a vicious cycle, but one that will thankfully come to an end soon.

5. They mostly want to spend time with me (and I love that).
At the beginning of summer break, I had an itinerary with a full schedule planned out for us. I did this to make sure they had a blast and to create sweet memories. We did it all, the pool, the beach, the parks, the lake, the museums, the hikes, the amusement parks, the library, the book clubs, the worksheets, the bike rides, the playdates, you name it. But one day, my older son suggested we skip the plans and just hang out with each other at home. They unanimously said they liked just being at home with me without orchestrating big plans every day. Oh sweet lord, how I love these kids!

6. They are not shy about expressing their love towards me.
How did I get so lucky? Despite all the requests, the pleading, the nagging, the demands, the bickering, the screaming, they never hold back their affection towards me. Aside from proclaiming their love towards me countless times throughout the day in their dreamiest voice, they sit suffocatingly close to me on the couch, one on each side, always cuddling, hugging and kissing me. Perhaps it’s guilt penetrating their psyche, but I don’t care. I’ll take it anytime.

In the end, all that matters is that we have enjoyed this summer together. I thank my husband from the bottom of my heart for working so hard outside the home and supporting all of our shenanigans.  I know these days are numbered because one day they will leave and the house will be quiet. I will miss these days, so for now, I soak it all up and carry on.
Now tell me. How have you enjoyed this summer with your kids?