It doesn't help that this time I'm in England and preparing to say the annual goodbye to friends and family, but even when I'm already back in Chicago, the end of summer comes too soon. Of course, this might be that two of my children are adults and I haven't spent three months dragging them to parks and museums, wearing myself out and draining the bank account to keep them amused.I remember all too well the daily "Oh my god, when does school start?" feeling. The youngest (now 13) went from one day camp to another (metal-working, tennis, archery, rock music) before we left for England and confessed that the one free week he had, wasn't quite as good as he anticipated, (ie. I didn't let him play PS4 the entire time.)
I'm not even back in Chicago and already the back-to-school e-mails are disturbing my dreams - Did I remember to submit the medical forms that were due two months ago? (Answer - yes.) Do we know who his main teacher is yet? (Answer - I don't think so, unless I've missed an e-mail.) Then there's a whole load of orthodontic stuff that needs to be scheduled, the dog needs a few vaccines, the windows are in dire need of a power wash, etc. etc.
The end of a Chicago summer is particularly distressing given the winters that we endure every year. As I've written about many times, we hardly have a shoulder season (autumn/fall) and before we know it we're wearing the usual glam parkas, shoveling snow and worrying about frostbite. Some people say they love the seasons, but me? I could live in summer all year round.
