My kids start school in a week. Right now I should be buying them cute new outfits. Shopping for pencils, glue sticks, and boxes of tissues. Maybe even forcing them to sit down and practice their writing. But I'm not.
No, instead I'm trying to figure out what I need to do to pull together a lemonade stand. You see, since my 6-year-old, Big, could talk, he's been asking if he could have a lemonade stand. He's envisioned himself squeezing hundreds of lemons from neighbors' trees and collecting enough money to buy himself whatever his must-have object of the moment is.
For years, I've found excuse after excuse not to. Pushing it off to some distant day -- far off in the future. It's not that I'm opposed to my kid peddling sugar on a street corner. It just always seemed like a hassle. (Sad, but true.)
Well, tomorrow we're going to have that lemonade stand. We're going to mix up his favorite frozen concentrate (in case you hadn't gathered, I'm not the squeezing lemon type of gal), we're going to paint a sign, we're going to invite a couple friends, and by-golly we're going to make him a few coins to clink together. (At least I hope.)
To him, it will be a dream come true -- and a victory to carry in his back pocket as he heads off to school this year. (Honestly, both of my boys have been talking about it for days!) To me, it will be one last attempt to soak up summer with my sweet kids. This last summer before I have a first grader, before we have to start dealing with homework, before my little boy would rather do anything than hang out in a chair with his little brother, little sister, and mom begging neighbors to come buy a glass. (Though only time will tell if his love of collecting money will trump his shyness.)
Yes, that's how I'm preparing to go back to school. By taking a bit of the pressure off (of the kids and me), and giving my kids one last moment to shine, carefree in the warm summer sun.
How are you preparing (or did you prepare) for the first day of school?
Amy is a Shine Parenting Guru. When she's not sitting on street corners avoiding reality, she's writing about life as the mom of three young kids on her personal blog, Using Our Words. You can follow Amy on Facebook and Twitter.
