School is right around the corner, so have fun while the sun shines

Do you ever look back through life and judge your summers as good, bad or forgettable? Perhaps you spent a summer traveling, or welcoming a newborn baby into your family. Possibly a loved one died, or you suffered a horrendous break-up. Or maybe you don’t remember a particular summer at all because nothing interesting happened.

We only get 18 summers with our kids before they grow up and leave. Subtract the summers when you’re wiping their butts and then take away the teenage years when they ignore you. What are you left with? Twelve or 13 summers? How many of them will be worth remembering in a good way?

When I look back at my summers as a parent one of my favorites is when my son was 4 and my daughter was brand new.

We spent quality time at the Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett where I sat slumped on the floor nursing my infant while her big brother played. The beach was too hot for a newborn, but the Children’s Museum was just right. So was the Woodland Park Zoo, especially the Zoomazium exhibit where parents can sit while kids play.

The shameful thing is that I spent so many years taking my son to fun places that I burnt myself out. By the time my daughter was ready to participate our museum and zoo memberships had lapsed. We were a case of a big brother who went everywhere and a little sister who went nowhere at all.

Now my daughter is 6 years old, which is almost too big for children’s museums — but not quite. It’s not too late for me to make up for all of those missing experiences.

Right now my son is attending a three-week day camp at the University of Washington. My daughter and I could double our time in the car braving work traffic to come home each day between drop-off and pick-up. Instead we pretend to be tourists in Seattle. The money we save on gas is spent on museums.

When we return home every afternoon all three of us are pooped. I let the kids play Minecraft and watch TV while I collapse on the couch and pray that dinner will magically cook itself.

The Entertainment Book, which had sat like a brick in the glove compartment, has become our new best friend. We tear through coupons every day. Our first week of adventuring my FitBit clocked 95,000 steps.

Summer fun is exhausting but I wouldn’t trade one minute of tiredness for all the naps in the world.

I know come September I’ll be dying for school to start. I’ll prance through the aisles of Staples and sing “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” while shopping for school supplies. But right now the days are ripe with opportunity.

This summer still has potential no matter how old your kids are. So go ahead and burn yourself out. The bright summer memories will be worth it.

Jennifer Bardsley is an Edmonds mom of two. Follow her on Instagram @the_ya_gal, Twitter @jennbardsley, or at teachingmybabytoread.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

A stroll on Rome's ancient Appian Way is a kind of time travel. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves on the Appian Way, Rome’s ancient superhighway

Twenty-nine highways fanned out from Rome, but this one was the first and remains the most legendary.

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Inside Elle Marie Hair Studio in Smokey Point. (Provided by Acacia Delzer)
The best hair salon in Snohomish County

You voted, we tallied. Here are the results.

The 2024 Kia EV9 electric SUV has room for up to six or seven passengers, depending on seat configuration. (Photo provided by Kia)
Kia’s all-new EV9 electric SUV occupies rarified air

Roomy three-row electric SUVs priced below 60 grand are scarce.

2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD (Photo provided by Toyota)
2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD

The compact SUV electric vehicle offers customers the ultimate flexibility for getting around town in zero emission EV mode or road-tripping in hybrid mode with a range of 440 miles and 42 mile per gallon fuel economy.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.