For my daughter, it’s bright summer sunshine. For me, it’s the oncoming train of summer vacation, and the train whistle is tooting a steady stream of “I’m bored! I’m bored! I’m bored!”
We’re more than a month into summer vacation and I have to listen to that whistle until the end of August. Somebody hold me, please.
Fortunately, we live on a street filled with kids who’ll also be complaining of impending death from boredom, so I can always slather her with sunscreen and shoo her outside. I won’t lock the doors though, like my mother did to us. (Anybody else’s mother ever do that?)
I’m already admittedly the meanest mom around, and at no other time am I meaner than summertime. But I’m not just mean to other people’s kids, I’m mean to my own. Or so I’m told.
Because while I’m all in favor of getting the kids outside for some fresh air, I’m also eager to take advantage of the free child labor I’ve got right here under my roof.
You have no clean clothes? Bring down your laundry hamper!
You can’t find your shoes? Clean out your closet!
You’re bored? Scrub the toilet in your bathroom!
You think I’m kidding? Toilet scrubbing is the new Friday afternoon activity around here. Want to go outside and play? Scrub every last inch of that potty, then wash your hands and you’re free.
Sure, it’s summer vacation. It’s her time to kick back and relax. She doesn’t have to be up and dressed and out of the house every morning only to sit at a desk off and on for several hours. She can lie around in her jammies and forget to bathe. That’s what swim practice is for anyway, right?
But she’s established so many great habits over the school year. She’s gotten really good at taking on responsibility. I don’t want her to lose that. And yeah, I could use some help keeping up with the household.
I know a few chores will cut into her lemonade stand time. But it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the days and days of summer stretching out ahead of us.
We’ll both be counting the days.
Author: Mile High Mamas
Rosey Pollen
I am with you on that, when my kids say they are bored, they get work. HA! My neighbor always had to get her chores done before she could play, she had WAY more chores then I did so I ended up scrubbing their toilets so she could escape sooner and play with me. Maybe she just went slow on purpose because she knew I was coming to ask her to play. Never thought of that. SNEAKY!
Amber Johnson
My 5 and 3 year old don’t even have “bored” in their vocabulary. But you’d better believe I’d put them to work if they started whining about it!
JoAnn, The Casual Perfectionist http://thecasualperfectionist.com
I’m with Amber…Claire (3yrs) doesn’t know what bored is yet. But, I’m not afraid to put her to work when that happens. As it is, she thinks sorting laundry is a fun game, and she also loves the game where she puts away all the silverware. 😉
I think the Child Labor Laws of the 1980s were really lenient in the Midwest. I grew up on a farm, and my three siblings and I were my mom’s own little workforce. Sometimes we hated Summer Break. Mom would get that gleam in her eye and put us to work. REAL work. Manual labor.
I think we were the only kids I knew that didn’t cry too hard when school started again in August. 😉
Lori in Denver
I’ll fight you for the title of MMIWDT.
What a great post to read on the last day of school. Now my pump is primed and I’m almost DARING someone to use the “B” word!
Holly
Muah ha ha, whoever is bored can come scrub my toilet ANYTIME!!!
Cory Dudley
Excellent points! While everyone deserves a break, it’s important to keep kids productive over the summer. A few chores never hurt anyone, especially if the whole family pitches in!