Am I The Only Mom Who Frickin’ Loves Summer?

Every year when summer rolls around, you can hear the sounds of incessant fuming coming at you from all sides. Parents who dread summer break, who hate the lack of parental breaks from their own children, and who are desperate for their kids to return to school. I get it. Truly.

But in full transparency, I *could not wait* for summer to start — and sometimes, I felt like I was the only one.

Here's the thing: Once upon a time, not that long ago, my life looked very different. As a woman in my mid-twenties without a partner, kid, or office job, my life revolved solely around my wants and needs. Summer only meant that it was finally time to swim. Even more recently, as a woman in her mid-thirties with a babe too young for school, I still held no real obligation to the seasons or to anyone outside of the family I'd prayed into existence. It was glorious.

Then, my daughter turned 5 and started kindergarten. With fall came homework, winter brought slippery commutes and frigid mornings in the drop-off line, and spring followed up with more slippery commutes — along with testing reminders and end-of-year chaos.

Summer, though? Summer is still my time, our time, with the promise of once again being beholden to no one.

I know that by August, I'll feel the full weight of no days off, and I'll understand the articles about anxiously waiting to ship our kids off to school each day. However, by mid-May, sitting outside my daughter's school and waiting for the umpteenth "extra-special" end-of-year thing I needed to attend, I was already beyond ready for a break... for both of us.

I live for these feral few months with no bedtimes or alarms. There's just something so frustrating about an evening with family being cut short because we need to get home for bedtime. Not to mention, having a "movie night" in broad daylight just isn't as fun.

Let me be the fun mom who doesn't stress out about bedtime. And, just as important, let me be the mom who doesn't instantly regret, at the sound of her alarm the next morning, having agreed to a Moana double feature the night before.

Let me be the mom who OKs fruity popsicles for breakfast without worrying about a teacher asking my kid what she had for breakfast and then reporting me to Child Services for neglect because I decided fruit is fruit and rolled with it one morning.

I revel in doing away with deadlines… at least a few, anyway. I'm still here, working and in grad school. Deadlines will remain for me. But, for the love, can I be grateful for the few weeks when I'm not juggling kindergarten homework packets and permission slip due dates?

Summer means my mental load is cut in half, and my planner is almost empty. We are a family that thrives on unstructured time and low expectations. We do well in the loosey-goosey schedule of this season. We're happiest when no one expects much from us.

Give me the freedom to pick up and go on an adventure. My sister from another mister, and the closest thing my kid has to cousins, lives five hours away, so arranging visits during the school year is nearly impossible. Summer leaves us wide open to toss our bags in the car and go visit our favorite girls.

June and July are perfect times to drive two hours to the extra cool museums in neighboring big cities and then decide on a whim to stay the night or just drive back late.

And no one tries to talk sense into us when we decide to go camping on a Wednesday.

I want to sponge sunscreen on my daughter and turn her loose. I need to let my kid ride her bike up and down our block until she's a sweaty mess. Let her make mud pies until the lightning bugs come out without worrying about bedtime.

Yes, of course, with summer comes the obligation to play "cruise director" and feel like I need to be my kid's entertainment. Hey, she already expects that!

Truly, it often feels like the only difference in expectations between summer and the rest of the year is that, in summer, I don't have to suggest homework every time she's bored or do the bedtime countdown calculator. The boredom that comes with no school is, sure, a blessing and a curse. And you can bet I always have that Summer Bridge workbook in my back pocket.

Still, summer also means endless hours outside, making sidewalk chalk art, inspecting bugs, and trying out cool new swing set tricks. Plus, so, so much time in "our pool" at the Y. It means not feeling guilty if an achy day or week leads to an extended period of screen time. You might call it "rotting" on the couch, but we call it quality snuggles.

So, I don't see summer entertainment manager duties as a negative, but simply my favorite season to play the part.

By August, I will be overheated, overstimulated, and exhausted. I know. I'll have answered a million questions. Played countless, winnerless games of "I Spy" and heard "I'm booooored" at least a few dozen times a week. I will gladly give hugs, kisses, and peanut butter sandwiches and then let her teacher take over my duties (and so much more!) for seven hours a day.

But right now? I don't have a complaint in me.

Deirdre Kaye is a writer/journalist and mother to one very smart, sweet deviled egg. She enjoys taking three months to finish a book, planning all the tiny details of road trips she’ll never take, and decorating her craftsman bungalow. In addition to Scary Mommy, her writing can be found on Bridal Guide, Yahoo, HuffPo, TheDad, and Cleveland Scene.